Hole in the World
by doolf4eva
Summary: Final Installment to Sorry Ever After. After the events of the Sokovia Accords, Steve and Bethany are happily raising their family in hiding. However, with a global threat on the horizon, they must suit up once again and Avenge those they've lost. Steve/OC.
1. Chapter 1

****A/N: HELLO READERS! If you are just clicking this story without reading the others, I'd like to direct you to my profile. There are four stories that precede this one (_Sorry Ever After, Wrong for the Right Reasons, Broken Strings _and _Through the Storm_) and I doubt this story will make much sense without reading those first. They're long, but don't let them scare you away!**

**For everyone else, welcome back! I present the next and FINAL part of the story to you.**

**The title of this song is based off the song 'Hole in the World' sang by Hayden Panettiere—the face claim for Bethany. It's a beautiful song that I recommend you listen to. I struggled between two names for this story. 'Hole in the World' and 'Disappear' (which is _also_ a Hayden Panettiere song I recommend you listen to) but I thought Hole in the World sounded a little more dramatic and poetic.**

**As always, a brief look at what's to come before I begin the story.**

* * *

Chapter 1

_Bethany's body was heavy with exhaustion. It had been three weeks since the battle and she could still feel the pain in every muscle of her body. It wasn't because she hadn't healed from her physical wounds. Just like they always did, they stitched themselves back together, leaving her body without any scars or bruises. But it didn't change the fact that emotionally and mentally she was absolutely wrecked. Sleeping was damn near impossible as her mind continuously raced with a million questions, trying to find a solution to Thanos' unjust actions upon the universe. With every second, the numbers of 'causalities' rose. More and more 'deaths' she could feel on her hands. Half the population was gone. They ceased to exist. But Bethany refused to believe that they were dead. No; how could they be? It made no logical sense. But then again, none of it did._

_ Every night, she laid her exhausted head on Steve's chest, needing to hear _proof_ that his heart was still beating, that he was still there. And despite the comfort, despite him holding her and kissing her and saying all the right words, sleep seemed foreign to her body. Beyond sleep deprivation, her eyes were heavy from the weeks of tears streaming down her face. As the numbers continued to grow, the tears became heavier. But now, she was convinced she didn't have any left. She felt empty. The last time she felt like this, like there was absolutely nothing she could do but be in a constant state of exhaustion and pain, it was when she lost Steve. She held onto that pain for decades. The only way out of it was getting him back. But how were they supposed to get anyone back? How were they supposed to save the world this time?_

_ "Is he asleep?" Steve asked when Bethany came back into the room. The holographic images on the table were haunting her. The numbers continued to rise; not slowly but with a rapid speed. More and more people were reporting that their loved ones were _gone_. They had set up the website for statistical reasons. They needed to know just how much, how many, they had lost. It wasn't just people that were being recorded, but pets too. Everything with a heartbeat on the planet, in the universe, had been subjected to Thanos' snap. And so the numbers continued to roll higher and higher with every second._

_ "Yeah," she replied tiredly, walking to stand next to him. "I don't blame him for not wanting to sleep. He's scared he's going to wake up and we're all going to be gone. And I can't even promise him that's not the case. What if Thanos decides he's not done? What if he snaps again?"_

_ "Shhh," Steve comforted her as she began to feel her emotions mount up again. She found comfort being in his embrace, listening to his heart. "Don't think like that."_

_ "I want them back, Steve," Bethany whispered, gripping onto his white shirt. "They were innocent children and now they're gone."_

_ "I want them back too," he promised, kissing the top of her head. "We just… we need to make a plan."_

_ "Which is impossible with no pieces to the puzzle," Bethany reminded him. It was true; they knew next to nothing. They had no idea where Thanos was. No idea if the Infinity Stones could reverse the Mad Titan's actions. And most of their brainpower had been wiped away with the snap. All they had was the pager that they found by Fury's car. The hope of the galaxy rested with a piece of outdated technology. Sure, the pager had been significantly altered to increase its signal, but Bethany recognized the pager. She knew it was Fury's. And she knew that he wouldn't have held onto it and sent out the signal unless it was to help them as the world erupted into flames._

_ "We'll figure it out," Steve whispered. "We always do. Somehow. This is no different. I refuse to let this be any different. We'll get our babies back, Beth."_

_ "Okay," She agreed meekly. By his tone, she could tell he didn't quite believe his own words, but that he was determined to do everything in his power to make them come true. It wasn't that Bethany didn't have hope; she did. She had gone a lifetime with people telling her that Steve was dead—but she had been stubborn and refused to completely accept that. Refuse to _move on_. And in the end, when she got the call that he was alive, she didn't even question how. Because all along, she had a sliver of hope. And that sliver of hope took her far. _

_ But she didn't want to wait another lifetime to get her children back. To get her life back. Her doubt streamed from the fact that she didn't know where to go from here. That the entire world was looking to them for answers and solutions and they didn't have anything else to give. _

_ "I don't know what I would have done if I lost you," Steve told her softly. "I don't know what I'd be doing right now, but I know I wouldn't be holding myself together."_

_ "I'm here," Bethany replied, wrapping her arms around him tightly. Besides the little blond boy sleeping in their bed at that very moment, the only comfort they got was from each other. They had been almost inseparable. It was an unspoken fact that they were afraid that if they let the other slip from their gaze, they'd be gone forever. They had already suffered so much; losing each other would be the final straw for both of them. But by them both being there, being together, they were able to hold onto enough strength to continue to fight to get the world back to the way it was before a madman decided that he knew better than everyone else. _

_ The couple's head turned as Natasha came into the room. "What?" Bethany asked, seeing the woman's tense face. _

_ "I was able to view another one of Tony's messages," Natasha told them carefully. "I know you don't want to hear this, but we're running out of time."_

_ "I don't know how to rescue him," Bethany whispered, feeling her heart race. The knowledge that Tony was floating around in space, dying with every second, was hard enough to deal with without everything else. "The technology Rocket is referring to to get us that deep into space? And we don't even know how far he is."_

_ "I know," Natasha promised her, flickering her eyes to Steve's for a moment. "We're not blaming you Bethany. You were able to find the messages in the first place. None of us would have been able to. But he's… he's saying his goodbyes. I just want you to be prepared for no more messages to come in."_

_ Bethany squared her jaw, looking away from Natasha and to the ever-growing number projected from the table. Hacking her way into the Iron Man suit had been a great way to find out whether Tony was a causality of the snap. There was a brief moment of relief when she realized that he was alive, followed by weeks of torment at the idea of him drifting off into space. They didn't have the means to find him, let alone bring him home. They were quite literally just waiting for him to die and it broke her heart. There was so many things she wanted to say to him; so many things she wanted to _hear_ from him. And absolutely none of them were him forgiving her. She wanted more than anything for him to yell at her, to tell her how he felt about her actions. She didn't want her own conscious to be eased—it never would be. But she sure as hell wanted his to be. Bethany had left so quickly to start her life with Steve—she had left before Tony could get a grasp on his emotions and say what he felt. Emote just how much her betrayal destroyed him. She didn't want him to die holding onto those feelings. She wanted him to be heard. _

_ "This is a nightmare," Steve voiced, watching the number continue to roll upwards. _

_ "I've had better nightmares," Natasha replied, her voice shaky. It had been that way for three weeks. Any strength Natasha once had was gone. _

_ "Hey…" they heard Rhodey say from behind him, the group thanking the excuse to turn away from the prove of their failture. "So that thing just stopped doing whatever the hell it was doing."_

_ Steve and Bethany shared a look before the three of them followed Rhodey into the next room. Fury's pager had been a topic of a lot of speculation. Because it was the only lead they had, they had worked weeks on trying to figure out who Fury was trying to contact. They signal went far beyond their scope and it was a struggle to keep the outdated form of communication charged. "What happened?" Bethany asked as she stepped up to the pager._

_ "Whatever signal it was sending finally crapped out," Bruce explained._

_ "I thought we bypassed the battery," Steve stated._

_ "We did," Rhodey confirmed. "It's still plugged in. It's just… it just stopped."_

_ Steve stared at it for a moment before sending out an order. "Reboot it. Send the signal again."_

_ The power in Steve's voice left very little room for argument. It was a tone he had been using a lot lately; one that no one questioned. Everyone understood that Steve and Bethany had lost more than the rest of them. Steve's passion to fix this mistake was fuelled by his anger. Steve had very little time to be upset those past weeks—he was just angry. He hadn't failed a lot during his life, but not only did he let the world down, but he let his family down. _

_ "We-we don't even know what this is," Bruce reminded Steve carefully._

_ "It doesn't matter," Bethany replied, supporting her husband. "Fury kept this thing for a reason. It was by his car _for a reason_. And it's the only clue we have."_

_ "Just do it please," Natasha agreed. "Tell us the second you get a signal. I want to know who's on the other end of that thing."_

_ Bethany watched as Natasha turned around, stopping as she saw a stranger in the room. Turning her gaze to look at the stranger, Bethany's brows rose as she looked at the _very _angry blonde woman dressed in a tight red, blue and gold suit. _

_ "Where's Fury?"_

* * *

_June 2017_

Bethany moaned as she could feel someone poked her arm carefully. She was vaguely aware that someone was trying to wake her up, but her body was too tired. Opening her eyes seemed like an impossible task. But the person continued to jostle her arm followed by a "Beth, I need you boobs, come on."

Letting out a long sigh, she knew that she couldn't welcome sleep back. Rolling off her stomach, she turned to face Steve who was on her side of the bed, holding one of the girls in his arms, a desperate look on his face. He had already turned the bedside lamp on, causing her to wince as her eyes adjusted. "Didn't I just feed someone?" Bethany whined, sitting up and placing her breastfeeding pillow around her waist.

"We do have two girls," Steve reminded her, passing her the fussy baby. "Greta's hungry now."

It had been six months since they welcomed their two peas in a pod into the world. And the girls were _still_ on opposite schedules. It didn't matter how much they tried. It seemed like Greta and Rosie came into this world with the sole intention of sleep depriving their parents. Specifically, their mother. Bethany wanted to wean the girls off breast milk, but had a lot of resistance from Steve. She knew he had a point; not only was it better for the girls, but it was much cheaper. They were trying to save money wherever they could and forking out extra money for formula when they had a free supply of milk already seemed like a bad financial decision. They weren't poor, they were just doing their best to ensure that they could enjoy their lives as is for as long as possible.

"She didn't wake up Jamie?" Bethany asked as Greta began to nurse, Steve crawling back into bed. Another thing they had learned about the girls was that Greta was the more difficult one; she was the loudest and fussiest. If you didn't tend to her within thirty seconds, her crying got exponentially louder. She had woken Jamie up almost every night since they arrived back home from Wakanda. It made sense that Jamie took a better liking to Rosie; the girl was quiet. But she was clingy. Which meant that during the day, she would fuss until someone held her. Every moment she was awake, she wanted to be held.

All of this was making Steve and Bethany realize that Jamie had been a perfect baby. "No, I got to her pretty quickly," Steve explained, stifling a yawn. "And I think the fan is helping drown out the cries."

"I hope so," Bethany yawned. "Will we ever sleep again?"

Steve chuckled, kissing her temple. "Maybe. Still want more?"

"Maybe next year," Bethany teased tiredly. "Or the year after. Once they stop crying all the time."

"That feels like it'll never happen," Steve joked, but there was a moment when both parents felt a brief pang of fear that there could be truth in his words. "Nat and Sam are coming soon, so at least we'll have more hands."

"Right," Bethany nodded.

"What was _that_ tone for?" Steve asked confused.

"What tone?"

"Don't act innocent. You know what tone I'm talking about. Do you not want them to come visit?"

Bethany sighed, trying to find the right words. "It's not that I don't want to see them. I definitely wouldn't mind another adult around to help out for a few hours. It's just… Steve, they're here _all the time_."

"And that's bad why?"

"I feel like I have to entertain, for starters," Bethany began.

"You don't-"

"I said 'for starters'," Bethany interrupted. "That's just a small point. There's also the fact that this place seems very small now. And then there's the fact that every time they come here, I get worried that you're going to leave with them."

"You still don't trust me?" Steve asked, no hurt in his voice, just confusion.

"It's not that. It's that I wouldn't _blame_ you," she explained. "I would _love _to run a mission right now. Yeah, I'm tired, but this whole being a mom to three kids under three? It's _hard_. My toenails are tired. My nipples are raw. And my heart aches every time they cry. And I'm trying to make sure that Jamie doesn't feel neglected throughout all of it. I'm not complaining, but-"

"You're complaining," Steve disagreed.

"No, I'm venting," Bethany corrected. "There's a huge difference because I'm grateful and so happy. I love these girls, I just… I need a little break. And I know you do too."

"Well, maybe when Sam and Natasha come, we can sneak out for a few hours. Get a break together. Nap under a tree or something. Maybe have sex."

Bethany stifled a laugh. "I know it's been a while, but can you honestly say you have the energy for sex?"

Steve thought about it for a second. "Maybe really lazy sex."

"Fair," Bethany agreed before sighing again. "I _am_ happy; you know that right? I'm just also really tired."

"I know," Steve promised, leaning over to collect a chaste kiss. "I am too."

* * *

For Jamie's third birthday, Bethany and Steve had decided to travel to Wakanda so that Jamie could see his friends from the play group. They had made an effort to bring him to the group every week since the twins were born—no matter how exhausted they were. They knew that being around kids his own age was important for his development and it was clear that Jamie loved being around them. Jamie's excitement at going to the play group meant that he had overcome his fear of flying much to Bethany's pleasure. He would sometimes be fussy on the way home, but she was taking little wins now-a-days.

"You look exhausted," Bucky smirked as Bethany watched as the group of toddlers and kids play in front of her. In her arm was Rosie, happily watching the boys and girls run across the room.

"I think that's an understatement," Bethany chuckled. "I'm so tired that I actually feel like I'm dying. Like I could drop dead at any moment. But it's Jamie's birthday, so here I am. I wouldn't miss this for anything."

"Neither would he," Bucky said, pointing to Steve who was playing a game of tag with the kids. "Don't you wish you could sleep like Greta?"

"Hell yeah," Bethany nodded, looking at the playpen next to her. The blonde haired newborn was sleeping soundly, as if the room wasn't roaring with noise. But as almost always, when one girl was wide away, the other was sound asleep. Every once in a while, Greta and Rosie's sleep scheduled would intertwine, meaning they'd be awake at the same time, but getting them on the same schedule was proving to be her most difficult mission yet.

"Shuri wants to implant the mood stabilizer while I'm here," Bethany enlightened. "But I'm worried that it'll have adverse reactions and it'll all be too much for Steve. I don't know how normal people do this. Saving the world is nothing compared to parenthood."

Bucky laughed, catching Rosie's attention. "It takes a village," Bucky reminded Bethany. "It's normal that you two feel overwhelmed when it's just you two."

"You could come home with us," Bethany teased him.

"I could," Bucky agreed. "But then _I _wouldn't get any sleep."

Bethany smiled, knowing full well that _that_ wasn't the reason. Bucky would have _loved_ to return home with them, help them take care of the kids and hear 'Uncle Yucky' every day. It was evident on his face every single time he saw any of the Rogers kids. He loved them like they were his own. But he wasn't ready to leave Wakanda quite yet. It was a safe haven where very little was asked of him. He was still recovering, learning who he was without the Winter Soldier looming over him. Even if Bucky were to agree to leave Wakanda and live with them, Steve and Bethany would both refuse; he still needed to take care of himself before he took care of anyone else.

"Steve told me that you're still worried he'll go back to work," Bucky brought up carefully.

Bethany sighed, knowing that Steve told Bucky everything- well, almost everything. She knew he didn't say anything about their sex life… or lack thereof since the girls were born. But it didn't surprise her that Steve had already talked to his best friend about this. "It's not that I don't trust him," Bethany began. "It's that I get the appeal. Maybe I'm worried about him because I'm worried about me. There's this… draw. This excitement. This… _escape_ about going on one more mission, you know? But I've been there before. I jumped back in. And all I thought about when I was on a mission was how much I wanted to be with Jamie. Steve hasn't really had that yet."

"But you're worried that if he goes on one more mission, it'll turn into a million anyways," Bucky tried to understand.

"I think once he says 'yes', he'll have a hard time saying 'no'," she corrected. "Like I said, I trust him. I trust that he wants to be with us. I trust that he'll make the right decision for all of us—even if it _is_ going on one more mission. But the second he agrees, it becomes harder to justify not to later on."

"That makes sense," Bucky told her. "It's a slippery slope. You make an exception once, it's hard to say 'no' in the future."

"Exactly," she nodded. "If he has to go back for work, I want it to be for a _good_ reason. For something that _only_ Captain America could do."

"Would you ever go back?"

Bethany looked a Rosie for a moment, smiling at the blonde's wide eyes as she followed her dad around the room. "It would have to be for something that's worth it," Bethany explained. "It would have to be because me staying at home with the kids meant that I would lose them. That me being out there means I could save them."

"I can't even imagine what it's like," Bucky shook his head. "To have kids. That love must be…"

"Terrifying," Bethany finished. "It's absolutely terrifying. The very idea of something happening, of them crying or being unhappy makes my absolutely sick. It makes my heart ache and my stomach churn. But it's worth it. Every bad thing is one-hundred percent worth it. Morning sickness, swollen feet, back pain, mood swings, labour. If you would put all that pain on a scale, you'd think nothing could be worth it. That it's one of the ultimate consequences of sex. But then you hold your baby and you know that all they've put you through and all that they _will_ put you through is worth it."

Bethany looked over at Jamie. It was evident that the boy was having fun. Travelling to Wakanda once a week had been difficult, but they had made it work because _Jamie was worth it_. His happiness was _worth it_. It didn't matter how tired they were. It didn't matter how much his parents just wanted to stay at home. Steve and Bethany made the ultimate decision that living in their safe house was going to be their permanent address for the foreseeable future and that they'd travel to Wakanda so that Jamie could see his friends. They had briefly considered moving to Wakanda permanently but knew that it would threaten the peace they had found.

Yes, she was tired. And hell yeah, getting out of bed that morning had been damn near impossible. But this, just like all those things she had mentioned to Bucky, it was all worth it for him. It was all worth it for the three of them.

* * *

_October 2017_

Thankful for a moment to relax, Bethany leaned back onto the couch with a pleasured sigh. By some small miracle, she had _finally_ got Greta and Rosie on a similar schedule. They weren't _quite_ synced up like she wanted them to be, but she was able to get a lot more done now.

Steve had brought Jamie to his playgroup that morning. It was his second time that week, but Bethany was trying to make sure Jamie got as much attention as possible now that the twins were starting to require closer surveillance than before. They could both sit up now, occasionally pulling their bodies forward like they were _trying _to crawl, but not quite there. And when they _did_ move forward, they would grab at anything and everything to put in their mouths. Bethany knew that it was normal infant behaviour—Jamie had done the same thing. But it felt like if she was taking something out of Rosie's hand, she would just turn around to see something in Greta's mouth. And while Steve was sure that Bethany was exaggerating it, she was _pretty sure_ that they were somehow communicating and doing this on purpose. One would distract her so that the other could get what they wanted. It sounded crazy, but it sure felt like it was reality.

Out of desperation for them to spend a few moments in one spot, she had turned on _Elmo's World. _In a blink of an eye, both girls had stopped trying to wreak havoc and sat in their places, watching the colours dance across the screen. Bethany's heart warmed when the girls broke out into a fit of laughter at the title character's antics. Their laughter was literal music to her ears—they had began laughing a few months back and it only increased with every day. They found everything in their world to be hilarious. Sure, they still had the same personality as ever; Greta was stubborn and loud while Rosie was clingy, but all Jamie had to do was pretend to sneeze and they would be in a fit of laughter.

Hearing the front door open, Bethany craned her head to see Steve and Jamie coming into the house. She smiled but stayed on her spot on the couch as she heard them make their way towards her. "Hi Mumma," Jamie greeted, kissing his mother's forehead with Molly in his arms.

"Hi Munchkin," Bethany grinned. "How was play group?"  
"Good!" Jamie stated before settling down behind the twins with Molly still in his arms, excited to watch _Elmo's World_.

"Hey," Steve's voice came from above her, his body resting on the top of the couch. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Can it wait?" Bethany asked, not ready to get up.

"It can," Steve confirmed. "But I'd rather it not."

Sighing, Bethany nodded as he got off the couch. Steve led her to the living room couch. "Am I in trouble?" Bethany questioned, feeling like she was about to hear a lecture.

"No," Steve promised, taking her hands in his. "I ran into Shuri today. She was wondering when she'll be seeing you."

Bethany pulled one of her hands away from Steve's, rubbing her tired face. She hadn't been avoiding Shuri, or the experimental procedure for her bipolar disorder. But since the girls had been born, she hadn't had a lot of time to think about it, let alone set time away to _do_ it. But in the moments where she _had_ thought about it, she knew that the experiment could go one of two ways; good or bad.

"I'm concerned about what'll happen," Bethany admitted quickly. "What if I space out for a few weeks? Unable to emote? I can't do that to you; leave you with three kids and a spaced-out wife. You're already tired enough."

"You're right, I am," Steve agreed, much to Bethany's surprise. "But it's not about that. Bethany, you may feel like this is an optional procedure, but that's not how I view it. I think it's important that we make sure you're healthy now and in the future. And if that means your emotions take awhile to level out, that's fine."

"It's not," Bethany sighed. "It's not fine that you have to pick up the slack because I may be mentally and physically unable to get out of bed in the morning."

_"May_," Steve stressed. "You could be fine. Just remember why you asked Shuri for this in the first place. So that you could make sure that your bipolar disorder doesn't hurt you or our family. The possibility of me having to pick up the slack for a few weeks is much more preferable to the unknown of you _possibly_ having a relapse. Besides, we're not completely alone. I can ask Sam, Nat and Wanda to come here and watch the kids for a few days. We'll go to Wakanda and spend a few days focusing on _you_. I know it scares you to leave the kids, but we need to take care of ourselves just as much as we take care of them."

Bethany knew he was right, even if she didn't want to hear it. It seemed selfish to take time away from the kids to focus on her mental health, but she _knew_ it was the right thing to do. If she had another relapse, it could jeopardize _everything_. Mentally unstable mothers were capable of horrendous things. She didn't want to be a danger to her kids. And while at that very moment, she wasn't, she couldn't with absolutely certainty say that she never would be. Mental stability was a fragile concept and she knew she had yet to hit her lowest.

"Okay, it's just… not now," Bethany began. "Halloween is soon, and Jamie is excited. I don't want to take that from him."

Now that Jamie was old enough to understand the holidays, Bethany and Steve agreed that it was safe to bring the kids trick-o-treating. It was a celebration that surrounded around costumes—as long as they had good costumes, they technically could even return to New York and participate without drawing attention to themselves. However, they had been happy to know that the nearby town had adopted the American tradition and they would be handing out candy to all the costumed-children. Jamie had asked to be Buzz Lightyear. Playing off this, Steve and Bethany were going to dress as Woody and Bo Peep, with the girls dressed as sheep. Bethany had already begun to make their costumes.

"Beth," Steve began softly. "That's fine, but after Halloween, it's Thanksgiving. And then Christmas, New Years', the girls' birthday, Valentine's Day, our anniversary, Jamie's birthday, my birthday, _your_ birthday. There's always going to be something. And I don't want you to continually put it off."

"But I also don't want to spend those times feeling… well,_ not_ feeling. I want to be responsive," Bethany sighed. "But I understand your point. I'll always have an excuse."

"We can wait until after Halloween," Steve promised, leaning in to kiss her forehead, his beard tickling her skin. "But we should do it before Thanksgiving. Our lives are hectic, but they are stable. I'm worried that if we continually put this off, something else will happen."

Bethany nodded. Their lives _were _hectic with the girls' finding new ways to keep their parents sleep deprived _and_ give Jamie the attention he deserved. But it was stable. There wasn't an outside threat looming over them. They had been in hiding for over a year now. It didn't matter that they hadn't drawn attention to themselves yet—the fear that they would was still as strong as when they first moved in.

"After Halloween," Bethany agreed, slipping her free hand back into Steve's and leaning in to collect a long kiss, knowing that at any moment, one of the kids would interrupt and it would be back to their busy lives.


	2. Chapter 2

****A/N: Nope, I'm still updating this I promise. I'm back in school so that's been keeping me busy, but I'm doing my best!**

* * *

Chapter 2

"Well, howdy there partner," Natasha called out from the porch, teasing Steve, as the family got out of their car. When the twins were born, Steve and Bethany realized that their old pick-up truck and car wouldn't be able to hold the entire family. Three car seats in one row would be next to impossible, which meant that they had to trade both of them in for a minivan. It broke Bethany's heart a little. She had loved having the older models parked in their garage. But she also knew it wasn't feasible to stuff three car seats in the back seat. And taking two different cars for the entire family to travel into the town seemed idiotic. Having a family meant making sacrifices; and since they didn't have an expendable bank account, that meant trading in the older models for one they would all fit in.

"Hardy har har," Steve replied with a grumpy tone, making Bethany chuckle quietly, not wanting to wake the sleeping baby in her arms. Steve hadn't been too thrilled with his costume—he put it on with no comments, but Bethany could tell that he was excited to take it off. But she had to give him props; he committed to the character so that Jamie could have a good night. The family had gone to almost every house in town to collect candy. The twins were too young to understand, but their eyes had been wide as they took in all the costumes around them. And Jamie had excitedly collected every treat he could get. Bethany was glad that they could do this for him; that being in hiding wasn't completely keeping him away from being a kid.

Now, all three of the kids were sleeping in their parents' arms. Steve was juggling Rosie and Jamie while Bethany rocked Greta. The night had been perfect. But the looming knowledge of Bethany's procedure tomorrow kept her heart racing all night. Sam, Natasha and Wanda had agreed to watch the kids so that Steve could take Bethany to Wakanda. Everyone agreed on two things; that Steve should take Bethany without the kids to focus on her mental health and that the adults needed to be in equal numbers with the kids. The chances of success increased if each adult was dedicated to one child at a time. It seemed like a perfect plan.

_Little do they know_, Bethany smiled to herself. Her friends were confident that everything was going to go smoothly. And sure, if they were just watching after Jamie, it definitely would. The kid was _perfect_. He said 'please' and 'thank you', cleaned up after himself for the most part and followed the rules. _And_ gave the best hugs. But the twins? They hadn't had to take care of them yet alone. The twins were a new mission all together.

"I brought an extra recruit," Natasha informed the parents as they entered the farmhouse. Steve and Bethany looked at each other, eyebrows raised, with a hint of concern. Sure, an extra recruit would definitely help their chances of succeeding. But they had _all_ been living a low-key life since the Accords were signed.

"Relax," a familiar voice chimed as Natasha turned on the living room light, Sharon Carter smiling at the couple. "It's just me."

Bethany's heart soared when she saw the ex-SHIELD agent. She felt herself get emotional, not realizing just how badly she had missed the friends she had left behind. She was so busy with making sure the twins weren't sitting in dirty diapers and that Jamie was getting enough attention that she barely had time to think about the amazing support group they had left behind.

"Sharon," Bethany breathed, hugging her friend carefully as she juggled the sleeping baby.

"It's great to see you Sharon," Steve smiled, wincing as Rosie began to shift in her sleep. "Okay, I'm putting them down before they wake up and we have to do it all over again."

Bethany gestured to the couch, keeping Greta in her arms. She didn't care that the troublemaker could wake up at any moment- she had been waiting to introduce the little girl to Sharon. "Where's Sam and Wanda?" Bethany asked as she settled carefully onto the couch, Sharon sitting next to her.

"Checking out the chickens," Natasha explained casually. "I'm going to make sure they don't get into too much trouble."

Watching as the redhead-turned-blonde sauntered out, Sharon laughed quietly. "I can't believe you actually live on a farm. Here I thought you were a city girl, through and through."

The decision to buy some chickens was not one that the Rogers made lightly. Buying the chickens was affordable enough; and they definitely had already got their moneys worth in regards to eggs. But the equipment needed carved a nice hole in their monthly budget. But so far, the kids seemed to enjoy having the chickens. Jamie would help his parents in collecting the eggs in the morning and Molly loved to sit and watch them waddle around. Amazingly, the feline hadn't attempted to grab one. Steve said it was because she was too stupid—Bethany disagreed. But only out loud. She was secretly thinking the same thing.

"Trust me, no one is quite as surprised as me," Bethany chuckled. Through her _many_ years, she had always been a city girl. New York, Los Angles, Tampa Bay, Washington D.C. The list went on. It was nice to be around a thriving environment—a _busy _environment. It kept her motivated to keep moving forward. But after moving to the Avengers' Facility, Bethany realized that she really didn't need the hustle and bustle of the city to keep her going when she had a kid demanding her attention. But living out in the middle of nowhere was much different than living a short car ride away from a major operations and training facility.

She wouldn't say she was a farm girl. The notion seemed silly. Living in the middle of nowhere was a safety tactic, not a life choice. Never in a million years would she _consider_ living on a farm. Which is part of the reason why buying it as her ultimate safe house and retirement plan had seemed so perfect. _No one_ would think that she would be hiding out on an actual farm. She wasn't Clint.

But when all was said and done, she wasn't unhappy with living on the farm. It was a house, just like any other. It wasn't the location that made it home, it was the people she was with. "So, who is this little one?" Sharon asked, smiling down at the sleeping baby.

"This is Greta Leigh," Bethany shared, unable to keep her own grin at bay. No matter how troublesome Greta was, Bethany adored her little girl. She could tell that she would give her mother a run for her money in a few years, but she admired her free-spirit and independence. Bethany had a strange feeling that Greta was a lot like she had been when she was baby.

"She's gorgeous," Sharon revealed. "And her sister's name?"

"Rose Natalia," Bethany whispered. "We wanted to make sure both girls' were named after strong women."

"Natasha and…?" Sharon asked, confused.

"And Peggy," Bethany explained. "Greta is just another nickname for Margaret."

"Good choice," Sharon smiled with approval. "Can I hold her?"

"Of course," Bethany nodded, carefully slipping the girl out of her arms and into Sharon's. When Sharon was successfully cradling the sleeping baby, Bethany continued. "Steve and I both agreed that while we aren't getting them officially baptised in the near future, we still want the girls to have godparents. We take comfort in knowing that they have someone else that can look after them if we can't. You helped us when we needed it the most. So we agreed that we want you to be Greta's godmother."

Sharon tore her gaze away from Greta, a soft smile on her face. "I would love to, Bethany."

"And Steve wants me to stress to you that it isn't just because Peggy isn't here anymore. We don't think of you as a Peggy replacement. But who better to be the godmother of Peggy's namesake than her niece?"

"I'm honoured," Sharon promised. "And who is her godfather?"

Bethany let out a soft sigh. "That's… a little more complicated."

"Oh?"

"We want to ask Bucky," Bethany began. "Sam and Natasha are Jamie's godparents and we've asked Wanda and Clint to be Rosie's. It's important to us that the people who helped us, stood by us, during the Accords feel our gratitude. And while Bucky _may_ have complicated the situation, he has been there for us. Rooted for us when we didn't think we could make it. And he's been an amazing friend to both of us while he's mentally in control."

"But?"

"But it's complicated," Bethany repeated lightly. "With Tony. With Howard. With HYDRA even. It's difficult to blame Bucky, but also difficult to ignore his involvement. Steve and I have been on the fence about it. One of us will agree and then the other one will acknowledge the reasons why the other didn't agree in the first place."

"Complicated situation aside," Sharon instructed. "Who would you pick?"

"Bucky," Bethany replied immediately.

"Then it should be Bucky," Sharon shrugged. "I get it. The situation isn't ideal. But you obviously feel like he's the right person for a reason."

"Choosing Bucky feels like I'm accepting my fate with mine and Tony's relationship," Bethany sighed.

"You're worried what Tony will think?"

"No. I'm worried how Tony will feel," Bethany corrected. "The way we left things…"

"Natasha filled me in," Sharon quickly added. "And yeah, he has every right to be upset. And sure, you should have heard him out. But everything you've done, you've done with the belief that it was the best thing for your kids. And that's what you're doing now with picking Bucky. _And_ with getting this procedure. Open brain surgery is nothing to shy away from, even if you're invincible."

"Yeah, I'm fucking scared as shit," Bethany breathed, grateful that Steve wasn't around to hear her—but knowing that there was a chance he heard her anyways. "It's not the surgery that scares me, it's what happens after. I'm terrified of falling into another bipolar depression and what it'll do to my kids. To Steve."

"But at the same time, that's the reason why you're doing this," Sharon pointed out. "If this doesn't work, you're no worse off than before. But if it does? You get to live your life without this massive shadow following you around."

Hearing the back door open, Bethany watched as Natasha, Sam and Wanda came back into the house. "I hear I missed seeing Steve in a cowboy costume," Sam began, a smirk on his face.

"Oh, don't worry. I have pictures," Bethany enlightened her friend.

* * *

Steve watched as Bethany's fingers nervously tapped on the medical bed she was sitting on. Her fear was radiating off of her, and in all honesty, Steve was just as worried as she was. But he knew that he had to be strong for her. The moment Steve admitted he was worried about what could happen was the moment that Bethany would back out of the operation all together.

He had overheard what Sharon had said; it seemed silly for Bethany to be worried. It seemed silly for _any _of them to be worried. Bethany had been off her meds for months and hadn't had a relapse. And sawing open her skull and slicing into her brain wasn't such a big deal when her body was used to being thrown off the top of skyscrapers and withstanding weeks of torture. But all the reason in the universe couldn't change the fact that he was worried. It was a big part of what being in love was; constant worry.

"Relax," Steve whispered lovingly, taking her hand in his to stop her fingers from absentmindedly tapping. "Everything will be okay. You'll be in and out before you know it. And after a few days of recovery and tests, we'll be back with our babies."

Bethany nodded, her eyes focused on something in the distance. Her silence was eating at him. One of the reasons he fell in love with her in the first place was because she never stopped talking; she always knew what to say to fill the silence. But he knew that what she lacked right now, he needed to supply. "I was thinking that we could take the opportunity of not having the kids to go out on a date," he began, caressing the top of her hand with his thumb. "It's been a really long time and I think we deserve an adult night out. Go to a nice restaurant, sneak back to our room and enjoy the fact that we can stay up all night without a baby waking us up once we finally fall asleep."

He smiled as he saw the corner of her lip begin to lift. "That sounds nice," Bethany whispered. "I miss having you to myself."  
"Oh, believe me, I miss it too," Steve replied with a tone of lust, leaning in to kiss her temple. "God, Beth. I love you so much. You know that, right?"

"I do," Bethany nodded, finally turning so her eyes met his. "It's the one thing I know for sure. That you love me and that I love you."

"And you know that I want what's best for you? For us? For our family?" He waited until she nodded before he continued. "I don't want you to do this if you don't want to, but I think that it's the best for everyone. _Especially_ for you. I want you to be able to experience extreme emotions without fearing that you'll relapse. And I want to know that if something ever did happened to me, you wouldn't be where you were before."

"I want that too," Bethany whispered, her voice cracking as she held back her tears. "I'm scared of the unknown."

"I know," Steve replied, pulling her into his arms. "But I'll be here with you, okay? I'm going to love you no matter what."

"You better," Bethany teased, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"There's my girl," Steve chuckled, sensing that she was more at ease. It was short lived, however, as the doctors came into the room, announcing that it was time to put her under. Staying with her until the last possible moment, Steve held onto her hand, hoping that at least while she was under, she'd have a good dream to ease her fears.

* * *

They gave Steve the choice to be present during the surgery but he couldn't bring himself to go into the room. It didn't matter that he knew she would heal almost immediately. He hated to see her hurt in anyway. To everyone around him, it was a huge medical advancement—they were all happily floating around. But despite the rapid cellular regeneration, she was still his wife.

When they brought her out of surgery, Steve's heart clenched as he carefully took her hand. She had a gauze wrapped around her the top of her skull and various wires stuck to her temples. Bethany was still unconscious, but they could tell from her monitors that she was dreaming. Taking a seat beside her, he caressed the top of her hand lightly, trying to coax her out of her dream world. Every so often, she would start to stir as if on the verge of waking up, but would settle back into her slumber. There was no doubt that despite the bandages and wires, she looked peaceful. The months following the twins' birth, Steve had noticed that Bethany's sleep patterns had changed. How couldn't they? Bethany was getting used to—or at least surrendering to—less sleep. In all the time he knew her, Bethany's love for sleep had been evident. But with something she loved even more in the world—her three children—getting at least six hours of sleep was considered a luxury.

"Hey Doll," Steve spoke softly when he watched her lashes begin to flutter. As her surroundings hit her, she winced, closing her eyes tight.

"It's too bright," She mumbled, her voice dry and weak.

Slipping his hand away from hers, he went to the light switch. Only after the lights were off and Steve was back at her side did Bethany dare to open her eyes again. "How are you feeling?" Steve asked cautiously, using the softest of tones.

"My head hurts," Bethany whispered.

"I know," Steve promised, feeling that familiar ache that came when Bethany was in pain. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead softly. "Is it a headache, or the incision?"  
"A headache," Bethany mumbled, closing her eyes again. "Can you hold me please?"

"Of course," he whispered, carefully crawling into the bed with her. Bethany rested her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

"How are the kids?" Bethany asked, her voice barely piercing the air.

In truth, it sounded like their friends were struggling despite trying to hide their troubles. When he had called Natasha earlier, she insisted that everything was fine, but he could hear both the twins crying and Jamie calling out for him and Bethany. It was only in that moment that Steve realized that the twins had never been with anyone other than their parents, and Jamie had been with them on a constant basis for a long time. Leaving them with people they only _kinda _knew would no doubt be terrifying. Steve had felt horrible, but he knew that right now, he needed to make sure that Bethany healed so they could both go home to their babies.

"Natasha said everything was fine," Steve allowed, not technically lying. Natasha _had _said that everything was fine despite Steve pointing out the screaming and crying.

_"Steve, this is nothing we can't handle," _Natasha had insisted. _"We've quite literally fought aliens. We'll be fine_." But Steve's concern wasn't exactly whether or not their friends would be fine, but the children.

"Just get your rest," Steve added. "The quicker you heal, the quicker we can get back to them."

"Hmmm," Bethany agreed softly. "I had a weird dream. You jumped."

"Huh?" Steve asked, his brow furrowing. "Jumped from where?"

"From the plane," Bethany continued, her voice in a light daze. "The… The Valkyrie? Was that its name? In my dream, you jumped from it instead of crashing it. Which, in retrospect, probably would have been smarter."

Steve let her dazed words sink in slowly. Jumping had _not_ been something he had considered back then merely because jumping from a plane usually ended in death. But he had jumped from _hundreds_ of planes and buildings since then. And clearly he was alive. "What-what happened then?" Steve asked, wondering how Bethany's subconscious imagined their life if that had happened.

"You found your way back to us," Bethany shared. "You got me the help I needed. The dream was about us taking part of a SHIELD mission. It was… it was nice."

"Do you think that's what life would have been like if I _did_ jump?" Steve questioned carefully.

"Maybe," Bethany hummed. "But probably not. It seemed too good to be true. I don't have the faith that I would have been… _normal_ during that time, even if you were around. Maybe less depressed, but still selfish and self-centered."

Steve hated to hear her describe herself that way but… she wasn't wrong. She had been selfish and self-centered. And so much more. But at the same time, Bethany recognized that she wasn't that person anymore. "You know that I think you're the most amazing person in the world, right?"

This earned Steve a small smile from his wife. "I think you may have said something along those lines before."

Steve chuckled lightly, apologizing when Bethany winced in pain. Kissing the top of her head, he watched as she fell back to sleep, leaving Steve thinking about what if he had jumped.

* * *

Bethany let out a bored sigh, making Steve chuckle. They had been in Shuri's lab for almost two hours now, with multiple wires attached to her head. Her team was trying to figure out whether or not the implant was working. Throughout the last three days, Bethany had headaches on and off, but she was finally starting to feel a lot better. She knew that after this appointment, she was free to go home to her babies.

Everyone's assurance that the kids were fine had shattered when Bethany had talked to Jamie—the little boy had ratted everyone out. He admitted that the twins were always crying and that he missed his parents. Bethany had been furious with Steve for a quick moment but knew that she would have done the same thing and calmed down. Part of her wondered if that was the implant's doing or just _her_. Either way, Steve and Bethany had agreed that they had to go see their babies as soon as they could.

Originally, they had talked about having a date night while they were in Wakanda, but it didn't matter anymore. Sure, they had been looking forward to some alone time, but that was only when they thought that their absence wouldn't be met with such resistance.

"Do you think it's bad that they are so reliant on us?" Bethany asked Steve suddenly.

Steve crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. "Most kids are Doll Face."

"Yeah, I know that," Bethany allowed. "But they are _really _reliant on us. We could leave Jamie with someone for a night and he was fine. But now he's miserable and the twins are just… I don't know, do you think we need to distance ourselves more?"

"Probably," Steve allowed. "But the life we lived then is different than the life we live now."

"I know you don't want to have the conversation," Bethany began delicately. "But what are we doing in the next year? Jamie _should_ be starting school next September. Are we just planning on home schooling him? Forever?"

"You're right, I don't want to have the conversation," Steve sighed. "We still have time. And home schooling him for a year doesn't mean forever."

"Okay, I'm sorry I brought it up," Bethany quickly replied, sensing Steve's hurt feelings—he knew that his decisions with the Accords directly affected their kids. "I'm just concerned that they are too reliant on us, that's all."

"Alright, you are all done here," Shuri announced, appearing from the observation room.

"And?" Steve asked, curious about their findings.

"There is a slight increase of positive chemicals in her brainwaves, but they are too small to attribute it directly to the implant," Shuri explained. "It'll take a few more scans over the months to tell for sure. We'll arrange something for after Christmas."

Bethany nodded, beginning to take the wires attached to her head off. "Thanks again, Shuri. If this works…"

"I know," Shuri smiled. "Now that we're getting involved with the world, if this works, we can help a lot of people. It'll be a long process, but being able to put a permanent end to the mental health crisis would be an achievement I would love to have my name attached to."

Bethany chuckled, accepting Steve's outstretched hand to stand up. "I understand," Bethany replied, thinking about how excited she was at the prospect of being involved in the super soldier experiment. It was _incredible_ to look at her husband and be reminded that she had been a part of the experiment that he underwent. It was a medical innovation like none before. It was still a time where injections and inhalers hadn't been perfected or mass-marketed. It was insane to think that she had witnessed this incredible development from children dying of polio to it being eradicated.

In that moment, she remembered what it was like to be given the chance that Dr. Erskine had given her. So many people had dismissed her. And yes, she got in the door because of Howard, but she _stayed_ because of her ability, her willingness to learn. At that point, she had just wanted to be a doctor. It was bizarre to look back and see that her life hadn't quite played out how she imagined it too, but that she _still_ had been involved in medical advancements. Her life had taken a turn, but she still did what she had originally set out to do; make the world a better place.

* * *

When the parents returned to their farmhouse, they realized just how hard their friends had struggled over the past few days. By their appearance, it looked like they hadn't slept since Bethany and Steve had left a few days prior. Bethany had sheepishly took Greta into her arms from Natasha, rocking the baby for a few seconds before the blonde beauty ceased to scream. Knowing that she was in her mother's arms, Greta rested comfortably, her face red and tear-streaked.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Natasha angrily let out.

"Sorry," Steve apologized as the same happened when he took Rosie out of Wanda's arms.

"We tried _everything_," Wanda exhaustedly explained. "Not even magic impressed these two."

"Where's Jamie?" Bethany asked, rubbing Greta's back.

"Sam got him to sleep," Natasha plopped onto the couch. "And I'm thinking Sam fell asleep too, since he hasn't come down yet."

"And Sharon?" Steve asked.

"It's her sleep shift," Wanda yawned.

"Sleep shift, right," Bethany replied, looking to Steve with a soft smile.

"How do you do it?" Natasha pleaded. "I mean, sure they are quiet now, but they can't be quiet _all_ the time."

"You're right, they usually aren't," Bethany allowed. "But we make it work."

"We don't exactly have the choice," Steve chuckled. "Bethany's boobs help."

Bethany held back a laugh, shaking her head at her husband. It felt great to be at home with no feeling but hope for the future.

"There," Bethany announced as she tied a gift bow around the last Christmas present. "All done."

"Do you think Santa outdid himself this year?" Steve asked with a chuckle, looking at the sea of wrapped gifts surrounding his wife. After a _long_ discussion, Steve and Bethany had agreed to get more gifts than they did the year before, but make sure the gifts were necessities. Most of the things were clothes or educational toys. They had carefully put money away throughout the year to make sure that they would be buying the gifts responsibly. Financial budgeting was still a struggle for Bethany. She _wanted_ to be frugal and financially aware, but she was just used to buying whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. It was a luxury that she had experienced for _decades_ so it was hard to break her patterns. But Steve was proud about how she had done during this new chapter in their life.

"I think Santa wants to show our kids that they were good this year," Bethany corrected. "I still can't believe it's Christmas already."

Steve nodded in agreement, sitting across from his wife. The year had seemed to both drag and fly by. The nights were the twins wouldn't sleep were endless, but at the same time, it was almost their first birthday. They had both said their first words; Greta's being 'duck' and Rosie's 'hi'. The two girls seemed to have their own language and Bethany could see that Greta was corrupting Rosie in encouraging her to do bad things, but at the same time, when one girl would hit a milestone, the other would quickly follow. Which is how they both took their first steps on the same day.

"This is our second Christmas in this house," Bethany pointed out. "We haven't ever spent two Christmases in one place before."

"What? That can't be right," Steve disagreed but quickly realized she was right. In 2012, they had spent it in Florida after the events of the Mandarin. 2013 was celebrated in their Washington apartment. Christmas 2014 was spent at the Avengers Tower and 2015 at their new house on the New Avengers Facility Compound.

"It is," Bethany nodded. "I was thinking about it all day. This place, this _safe house_, has become a permanent home. It's the home that our kids will probably remember growing up in. Isn't that bizarre?"

Steve nodded slowly in agreement. They had put so much work and attention into their house on the New Avengers Facility Compound and this place they just… showed up to. And yet, it would be _this_ place that their kids would think of when they thought about growing up.

"Can you put these in the attic?" Bethany asked, changing the subject before Steve could think too much into it. She was still tiptoeing around the topic, not wanting him to feel more guilty than he already did about their situation. She could only reassuring him so much on the matter—she wasn't unhappy with their living arrangements. She was just _aware_ that it could affect their children's happiness, independence and development.

As Steve got up to fulfill Bethany's request, she looked at the photo of Tony and her on the wall. She had been thinking about reaching out to him a lot lately, and she had Steve's total support, but she was worried that she would be opening wounds for Tony that he was working hard on closing. She was cyberstalking him in a way—she was happy to know that not only were he and Pepper together again, but they were engaged. It made her feel like he was doing alright despite the shit she had put him through. But it was difficult to know that another Christmas was about to past without her talking to him.

Rustling sounds began to trickle in from the baby monitor, signalling that one of the girls was awake. Getting up from the floor and closing the bedroom door behind her, she made her way to the twins room. There, Greta sat in her crib, rubbing her eyes. "Shh," Bethany quickly let out, not wanting her to wake up Rosie. "You're okay," Bethany prompted quietly, picking the girl out of the crib and holding her close.

Settling down in the rocking chair in the corner, Bethany began to rock the girl softly as she rubbed her back. "What woke you up, baby girl?" Bethany whispered, realizing that the girl wasn't hungry nor had a dirty diaper. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Greta seemed content to just lie in her mother's arms, sucking her thumb eagerly. It was moments like this that made all the hurt, all the regrets in her life disappear.

* * *

****A/N: Would anyone be opposed if I kinda just like… started the ****_Infinity War _****movie soon? Like in the next few chapters? Anyone want to see anything specific before that happens? Also vaccinate your kids cause like "NO POLIO IS GOOD". **


	3. Chapter 3

****A/N: Hey hey, look who is being productive and not just napping...**

* * *

Chapter 3

Steve winced when he saw how high the sun was. He had left for his usual morning run when it was still dark and hadn't anticipated on being out as long as we was. But it felt so _good_ to push his body farther than it had in a while. Besides his morning run, the only real exercise he got was when he was working on the farm or the house. He wouldn't say he was out of practice- he felt like if he had to run into battle at that very moment, he could. Which was why his body was aching so much. He wasn't getting nearly enough exercise.

"Fuck," he let out under his breath as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Sure enough, when he pulled it out, it was a message from Bethany asking where he was.

Steve wasn't _too_ far from the house, pushing his body to go even faster so that he could get back home before a text back was deemed necessary. He knew his long run would warrant questions from his wife. He had no reason to lie to her; all he did was go out for a run. But the length would be a topic of conversation. He felt like he couldn't really complain about his lack of exercise since their living situation was _technically_ his fault. But at the same time, he knew that he shouldn't keep it from her. It would be extremely hypocritical to hide this after she had been so open with him.

Reaching the house, Steve slowly opened the door. A soft hum of a Christmas vinyl danced around the room and he could smell bacon frying. Slipping his shoes off, he carefully made his way into the kitchen. "Hi Daddy!" Jamie greeted him immediately.

"Good morning Munchkin," Steve replied, kissing his son's forehead from his stop at the table. He frowned as he noticed that only two of the kids were at the table. "Where's Greta?" Steve asked Bethany, who was standing by the stove.

"She's on a timeout," Jamie offered before Bethany could.

"She's… she's on a timeout," Steve said quietly, raising a brow to his wife as he walked over to her. "I'm sorry I took so long. It just felt really good to stretch my muscles. But I guess I was out too long..?"  
Steve immediately reacted when Bethany tilted her head up for a chaste kiss on the lips. "I was just worried," she dismissed. "If you want to extend your run, I'm fine with that. Communication would have been nice, though Rogers. I wasn't sure if something happened."

"You're right," Steve acknowledged, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry, I should have texted. To be honest, it slipped my mind. Some days I forget we're in hiding."

"Well don't," Bethany teased before becoming serious. "The moment that we put our guard down, we'll get noticed."

Steve nodded, wrapping his arms around her. "Again, I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely. "But umm… what exactly happened for Greta to earn a timeout?"

"She was throwing her cereal," Jamie supplied again.

Bethany's head turned to look at her son. "Well, aren't we becoming a little tattle tale, aren't we?"

"What's that?" Jamie asked, picking up a piece of toast.

"It's someone who tells on someone else," Steve explained, breaking away from Bethany and going to the table. "Especially with the intentions of getting them in trouble."

"'Intentions'?" Jamie repeated, a confused look on his face.

Steve chuckled, messing up Jamie's hair a little with his hand. "Intentions means…" he trailed off, trying to find the right word. Now that Jamie was old enough to understand and construct full sentences, the little boy was asking for the definitions of a _lot_ of words. And Steve was having a hard time explaining their meaning.

"Hope," Bethany offered. "Or plan. You are telling on them with the plan of getting them in trouble."

"Exactly," Steve nodded.

"But you asked what Greta did," Jamie defended himself.

"Yes, he did," Bethany agreed. "But you _also_ told me that she was throwing her cereal."

Jamie frowned, crossing his arms, failing to completely understand. "But you told her not too, and she kept throwing it."

"Yes," Bethany allowed. "We're just explaining what a tattle tale _is_. I appreciate you telling me, she needs to learn to not throw her food. She's big enough now to know the consequences of her actions."

"But is she?" Steve asked, thinking hard about it. "She's technically still a baby. Do you punish a baby?

"I think it's a case-by-case basis," Bethany explained, taking the bacon and a bowl of scrambled eggs to the table before sitting beside Rosie. "Listen, she know what 'no' means and she keeps doing things when we say it. I think that she has the intelligence to understand what she is doing and is specifically acting out because she can. Rosie isn't throwing her food."

The two looked at the little girl, her blonde curls wild from her sleep. Looking up at her parents with her wide blue eyes, she slowly put a Cheerio into her mouth. "Should we compare the two?" Steve asked, still unsure.

"Hey, if you want to take her out of time-out, you go right ahead," Bethany allowed. "But I'm not cleaning up the mess she makes."

"Well, how long was her time-out for?" Steve continued.

"Until breakfast is done," Bethany shrugged, taking a bite of her bacon. "Her antics led to me burning some eggs. I needed her in a jail-like enclosure while I finished breakfast."

Steve laughed at her referring to Greta's crib to a prison. "I'm not going to overturn your sentence, I just wanted to understand your reasons."

"Can we decorate the tree today?" Jamie asked, quickly changing the subject to something more interesting.

Steve and Bethany looked at each other and shrugged. "I don't see why not," Bethany allowed, Christmas only being a week away. Steve had cut down a tree a few days before and they were letting it settle before adding any ornaments. Besides the tree, the rest of the house was fully decorated and ready for the big day.

"Any news from the group?" Bethany asked, taking a bite of her scrambled eggs.

"Not yet," Steve replied, shaking his head. He had invited everyone to stay during Christmas. It was an open invitation, but whether or not they were going to spend the holiday meant more food. "But Natasha is under the impression that Wanda will be spending Christmas with Vision."

"Hmm," Bethany voiced. "Yeah, I guess I would want to spend Christmas with you too, if we were in their situation."

"I don't think anybody has _ever_ been in their situation," Steve corrected. "But who are we to judge?"

"True," Bethany nodded before sighing. "It's still… it's a little weird."

"Yes, it is," Steve agreed. "But she's happy. He's happy."

"Is he? Can he be happy? That's what I don't get. He's an android. They aren't supposed to have feelings," Bethany explained.

"He's more than that," Steve disagreed. "Sure, it's a big part, but there _are_ human features in that vibranium form."

"I just don't know how it's going to end," the mother of three continued. "I don't want her to get hurt. She's young. And she's in love. And those combinations don't often mix."

"That's fair, but she's also not you," Steve pointed out before finishing his breakfast.

"Do you want more?" Bethany quickly offered.

He shook his head. "No, I'm okay. Beth, I know it's weird. _I know_. But most things in our life are weird."

Bethany chuckled, reaching over to wipe some drool off Rosie's chin. "I guess you have a point there. Okay, well if you are done, can you go rescue Greta from jail?"

* * *

"What if there is a fire?" Jamie asked, looking at the fire place. The little boy was extremely concerned for the wellbeing of a certain fictional holiday character.

"Nah, the fire goes out before he goes down the chimney," Sam explained to the little boy. "But he only comes when you're sleeping, so when your parents say it's bed time, you need to go to sleep."

"What if I can't?" Jamie questioned, tilting his head a little.

Bethany smiled, loving how inquisitive her son was becoming. For more parents, the endless questions were exhausting. And yes, some days they were. But it amazed her how he was able to remember and formulate conclusions. His brain development was absolutely fascinating.

"Well, then Santa won't come," Natasha replied coolly, much to the little boy's horror.

"Is that true Momma?" He immediately questioned, looking like he was about to cry.

Bethany gave Natasha a reprimanding look. "As long as you're _actually trying_, he will still come."

"How do you know?"

"Your mother knows everything," Steve explained, throwing his wife a wink.

They were all digesting the Christmas Eve dinner Bethany had made, sitting in the living room with the Christmas tree lit and the fire crackling. A Christmas vinyl spun on the turn table as Bethany and Natasha sat on the couch, Sam and Steve in their own chairs. Steve was holding a wide-awake Greta while Bethany was softly bouncing a near-sleeping Rosie. All three of the kids were in their matching Christmas pajamas and Bethany's heart was soaring. Just as was expected, Wanda had not joined the group, choosing to spend the holiday with Vision.

"Did you ask Santa for anything?" Sam asked Jamie.

"A baseball," Jamie replied. "I wrote him a little and he wrote one back!"

"Did he? Wow, you're so lucky," Sam played along with a smirk on his face. "You must be a good boy."

"I know," Jamie responded, bouncing over to the few gifts that were already under the tree. "Momma, can I open one tonight?"

"No, we wait until tomorrow," Bethany shook her head. "It's just one more sleep, Jamie. You can wait one more night."

"You know," Steve added before the boy could pout. "The sooner you go to bed, the sooner tomorrow comes."

"Really?" Jamie questioned with wide eyes, his little brain having not realized this yet.

"Really," Steve nodded. "How about we get the milk and cookies out for Santa and then you go brush your teeth?"

"Can I have a cookie before I brush my teeth? Just one?" Jamie asked, holding up a single finger to his mother.

Bethany looked up at Steve before nodding. "Just one, Munchkin."

"Yay!" Jamie celebrated before sauntering off to the kitchen. Steve handed Greta over to Natasha so that he could go help Jamie in the kitchen.

"I can't believe how big he is," Sam said quietly, leaning his body forward. "And how _smart_. Like _super smart_. I'm legit worried about looking like an idiot in front of him soon."

"You already do," Natasha teased.

"Ha," Sam replied, shaking his head. "How old is he again? Three?"

"Three-and-a-half," Bethany nodded. "He's starting to take things apart to see how they work. Tony was four when he built his first circuit board. I don't know if Jamie is _that_ far, but I know that if I gave him the right learning environment, he would be."

"Do you want to?" Natasha asked.

Bethany shrugged. "I'm doing the best that I can for him. I'm just worried that if we focus only on academics… I just don't want him to miss out on being a kid. Which is why the playgroup in Wakanda is doing so much for him. We're… we're considering maybe moving to Wakanda for the new school year next September."

"How serious is that consideration?" Sam pressed on, curious.

"Just a topic at this point," Bethany explained, her two boys coming back with the plate of cookies and a mug with milk in it. "But it's a question of how much I can teach here versus how much he could learn there."

"What if Molly drinks the milk or licks the cookies?" Jamie asked as he placed Santa's treats on the table by the fireplace.

"She won't," Bethany promised.

"How do you know?"

"Your dad just told you that I know everything, remember?" Bethany reminded him. "Now eat your cookie so that Santa can com- hey, no, chew slowly. You're not an animal."

After Jamie finished his cookie, his parents read him a story and put him and Rosie to bed. They decided that since Greta was still wide-eyed, they'd allow her to stay up a little longer before trying to lull her to sleep. Sitting back by the fireplace with their friends, the couple listened to the stories that Sam and Natasha had experience since they last saw each other.

"Seems like you guys are having fun," Steve said sarcastically after Sam shared a near-death experience.

"Hey, you used to think those missions were fun too, if I recall," Natasha pointed out.

Steve sighed, bouncing Greta on his knee lightly. "Yeah, well. Things can change."

Bethany smiled at that, resting her head tiredly on Steve's arm. "Near-death experiences are cool when you have nothing to lose," Bethany agreed. "Serious question though, how long do you think you can keep it up? I read something the other day. Ross is not giving it up anytime soon. He's like a dog with a bone. And honestly, I think he's letting his ego get in the way of rationality."

"I don't disagree," Natasha sighed. "We've been able to keep a low profile. People don't usually know that it's us. Or at least, it hasn't been reported that its us."

"What she means is, when it's reported that it's us, we'll take a hiatus," Sam explained. "But until then, there's work to be done."

"Work that the world doesn't want you doing," Bethany pointed out before rolling her eyes. "That bugs me so much. The UN has no idea about most of the world's issues."

"Let's not get into it tonight," Steve suggested. "It's Christmas. Let's just enjoy that we're all here, together."

Bethany smiled at Steve's words. It was nice to hear him dismiss talks about the Accords. As everyday went by, Bethany's faith that Steve would get bored and leave on a mission disappeared. She felt confident that if Steve _did_ need to suit up again, it would be for something that was really _worth it_. And that he wouldn't keep it a secret from her.

In all the years she had known and love Steve Rogers, she never trusted him as much as she did in that moment.

* * *

Bethany watched as Steve and Bucky tossed the ball lightly to Jamie. It was the day after Christmas and they had taken the quinjet down to Wakanda to spend some time with Bucky, and then quickly do a scan of Bethany's brain to see how the implant was working. When they told Jamie that they were making the journey, he was excited to show Bucky his new baseball bat, ball and glove.

Bethany sat on a blanket a few yards away with the twins, who were happily playing with their building blocks. Bethany reached out and smoothed back some of Greta's wild curls. She had put hand bands on both of the girls that morning and somehow Greta looked like she had sat in front of a fan for hours.

"No," Greta whined, pushing Bethany's hand away.

Bethany sighed, giving up. Some fights were just not worth it. "Why are you so stubborn?" Bethany asked her daughter lightly, poking her stomach playfully. This earned the mother a hearty laugh from the little girl, leading to Bethany attacking Greta with tickles.

She couldn't help but laugh as Greta's infectious giggle broke out into the air. As stubborn as Greta was, she was also extremely playful. "What about you?" Bethany asked Rosie, who was looking up at her mother with her beautiful blue eyes. "Do you want tickles too? Huh?"

At just the mention of them, Rosie's face broke into a smile. Bethany reached out, a hand on each girls' stomach, tickling them to the point of tears. When her hands stopped, Rosie looked at her sister before reaching out and attempting to do the same thing her mother had just done. The tickles weren't as strong, but Greta definitely gave into the act, breaking out into laughter again.

Bethany felt her entire being warm up with happiness. Leaning forward, she kissed the top of Rosie's head. "Aren't you a smart little cookie."

"What's going on over here?" Steve asked, trotting up to his girls.

"Rosie learned how to tickle," Bethany explained as Steve sat next to her.

"Why are so you cute?" Steve teased Rosie, reaching out to tickle her. "And why are _you_ so cute?" He pressed on, tickling Greta as well.

After a few moments, Steve allowed the girls to rest, the two babbling among themselves until they returned to their blocks. "Didn't want to play ball anymore?" Bethany asked, watching as Bucky and Jamie continued to play in the distance.

"I was drawn here by the laughter," Steve explained. "He's got a pretty good arm. And he really seems to like it."

"He _really_ seems to like Bucky," Bethany added. "And Bucky seems like… well, like _Bucky_."

"I know," Steve said under his breath, but unable to stop smiling. "He says he feels a lot better."

"Any word on whether or not he's ready to leave?"

Steve shook his head, some of his hair falling into his gaze. Bethany reached out and pushed it back, caressing his full beard as he answered. "I think he's doubting himself. Doubting his trust."

"I get that," Bethany nodded. "It'll take time Steve."

"I know," he replied, letting out a deep breath. "I just hate that he can't go about his life."

"Steve, this _is_ his life," Bethany reminded him. "Before he came here, he wasn't any better off. And his life _before _all of this was seventy years ago. So he might decide to just stay here."

"He could come live with us," Steve voiced hopefully.

Bethany nodded, taking his hand in her own. "Yeah, he could. But babe, he wouldn't be getting his own life with us. He would just be a part of ours."

"He doesn't have that many options," Steve continued. "He's on the international watch list, just like me. It's not like he can just pack up and start a new life."

"He _could_," Bethany corrected. "There's nothing holding him back. A new start could mean a new identity. But it isn't up to us, Steve. It's Bucky's decision. We can't do anything but support his decision."

Letting out another breath of air, Steve ran his hand through his hair. "Do you think I'm holding onto the past too much?"

Bethany let the thought mull around in her brain. She didn't have a solid answer for him. "I think that you want your best friend to be happy, and you remember him being happy when he was with you. And if you let go of the past all together, you'd be letting go of both of us."

"I'll never let go of you," Steve told her with a small smile.

"As if I would give you a choice," Bethany teased him, reaching up for a small kiss.

* * *

The family, minus Jamie but plus Bucky, sat in Shuri's lab as doctor's monitored Bethany's brain. The little boy was off at his play group, and interested in the developments of the implant, Bucky had tagged along. He was currently making funny faces at the girls, earning him hearty laughs. Steve was holding Bethany's hand, stroking the top of it. They hadn't discussed it with everything that had been going on, but Steve knew that Bethany was anxious about the results.

"Hey," Steve whispered to her, trying to keep their conversation as private as comfortable. "You've been fine over the last two months."

"I know," she whispered back, but feeling a knot in her stomach. "I know, but it can change in an instant. I could be having a good period and-"

"Stop with the what-ifs. Just focus on what you know," Steve interrupted. "And what _I _know is that you've been incredible these past few months. And I know you know that too, you're just too afraid to admit it."

Bethany didn't reply, but gave him a ghost of a smile. The thing that concerned her was even though she _had _felt good the last two months, she felt no different than the months before she had the implant placed. She wanted to believe that it would work and that the way she felt now is how she would feel always, but things didn't always work in her favor and she was due for a loss.

"Okay, we're just about done," Shuri announced. "The results look similar to the last scan."

"Is that good?" Steve questioned.

"It's not bad," Shuri smiled. "Consistency is better than a dramatic fall."

"Theoretically," Bethany began, voicing a question she had been thinking about a lot lately. "If something were to happen in my life… something dramatic… would I be able to feel that? The emotions?"

Shuri nodded, understanding Bethany's concerns. No one wanted to be happy when disaster was striking. "No, the implant will allow you to feel your own emotions, but won't be amplified by any mental illness. It's designed to allow certain levels of neurotransmitters to allow you to feel sadness, but keep you from falling into deep depression, anxiety or a manic episode. _If_ it works the way I designed it. Which it should."

Bethany let out a tired chuckle at Shuri's confidence. She missed being able to have that when it came to her work. "Thank you, Shuri," she whispered. "I really appreciate this."

"I really appreciate getting to _do_ this," Shuri replied as she took the monitors off Bethany's head. "Let's say we'll meet up again in March and see where you are at. But if you feel a flux or any concern, _please_ come to me."

Nodding in agreement, Bethany bid the young genius goodbye as the family got up to leave. "Well, that all sounded good," Bucky voiced as they walked back to the play room to collect Jamie. "Although, you don't seem too please, Bethany."

"She's overthinking," Steve explained, teasing his wife. "Beth. Everything is fine."

"For now," Bethany sighed.

"Yes, for now," Steve agreed. "And maybe forever."

"I just…" Bethany began, halting in her spot, the others following her moves. "Things are going good. And historically, when things go good, something bad happens. I'm just worried that it'll be me."

Steve reached out the hand that wasn't holding Rosie and cupped Bethany's face. "I will get you here before that would happen. Okay, I promise. I _promised_ that I would take care of you. Okay?"

Bethany nodded, giving him a hint of a smile. "Thank you. For dealing with my crazy."

"He has a lot of practice," Bucky joked, bouncing Greta on his hip.

"That is very true," Steve replied with a smirk, giving Bethany a quick kiss.

* * *

When Steve woke up for his morning run, the spot next to him was cold. Frowning, he sat up in bed, turning on the lamp. "Beth?" He called out in a loud whisper. No response.

Pushing the sheets off of him, he reached for his sweat pants and pulled them on before searching for his wife. He found her quickly, sitting in between the girls' crib, watching them sleep. "What are you doing?" Steve whispered into the darkness, startling Bethany a little. "Sorry."

"I couldn't sleep," she told him as he walked over to her. Steve scooped down and lifted her off the chair before sitting down himself, Bethany on his lap. "They're one. One. They've been in our lives for year."

"I know," Steve whispered, looking at Rosie's peaceful face. "All things considered, it was a peaceful year."

"Yeah," Bethany agreed. "Isn't that crazy? It was the most peaceful year we spent together, and we were raising _twins_ and a three-year old."

Steve nodded, agreeing with her. The more days they spent in this life, the weirder their past life seemed to get. For the longest time, he had a difficult time distinguishing himself from Captain America. He thought that all the best parts, all the strong parts of him were tied to the mantle. But the past year and a half, he realized that what he previously thought wasn't true. Everything Bethany had told him had been true; he _could_ just be Steve Rogers. And more so, he could be _happy_ as just Steve Rogers.

"I'm glad we made it this far," Bethany added.

"Did you doubt us?" Steve questioned with a raised brow.

"I doubted _me_," Bethany replied lightly. "I feel pretty good about myself now. We make some pretty incredible babies, Captain."

Steve chuckled lightly, careful not to wake the girls prematurely. "We really do," he agreed. "You know what? I think everything that I wanted in my life, before the ice, before the serum… I think I got it."

"Yeah?" Bethany asked, smiling at him.

"Beautiful wife who loves me, amazing kids, a peaceful life," Steve listed off. "A _happy_ life."

"It's not exactly what I pictured for myself," Bethany pointed out. "But I'm pretty damn happy with how it turned out."

"I'm glad," Steve whispered, leaning in to kiss her softly. Pulling apart, he rested his forehead against hers, their noses touching. "You know, they won't be awake for a few more hours."

"Oh?" Bethany replied with a flirtatious tone. "Isn't it time for your morning run?"

"Yeah, but I can think of a much more fun way to burn energy," Steve breathed huskily before kissing her again. _Everything is perfect_, Steve thought to himself as he carried his wife back to their bed, completely content with his life.

* * *

****A/N: Hey everyone! As stated in my last chapter, I really want to get to IW asap. So any fluff scene you want to see before that SUBMIT NOW. Cause I already have about half of IW typed up and ready to post. We're in January and IW is on May 30****th****, so I can either make a HUGE jump or do another chapter of cutesy stuff to fill the time gap. **

**BlondeBecca28: Thanks for your input! My idea is to fill the 5 years between movies with happy flashbacks, so they'll be lots of the kids even if I jump in soon. **


	4. Chapter 4

****A/N: This has been written for months so I have no excuse but laziness...**

* * *

Chapter 4

"Okay, nice and soft," Bethany instructed Jamie as the boy tapped an egg on the side of a bowl. She had been making a birthday cake for the girls when Jamie offered to help. Steve was outside with the girls, chasing them around the lawn, hoping to tire them out for their afternoon nap. They didn't have any particular plans for the night, but they were trying to get Greta on a good napping schedule.

"Like this?" Jamie ask as the egg softly cracked along the bowl's edge.

"Perfect," Bethany nodded, taking the egg from the boy's fingers so that she could pull the shell apart and let the egg fall into the bowl. "Now we need to stir. Can you do it?"

"Yes Mumma," Jamie replied excitedly, as Bethany handed Jamie the whisk. She smiled as he put as much effort into it as he could, but she knew she would have to step in later. Reaching out, she brushed some of his hair away from his forehead. "You've been such a great help this year, Munchkin."

"Thank you," Jamie said as he continued to give the bowl his full attention. Bethany chuckled as his response. It was evident that the little kid would have the same kind of personality and manners as his father. "Mumma?"  
"Mmm?"

"Who's Tony?" Jamie asked, cocking his head to the side and looking up from the bowl and to his mother. The question caught her off guard, straightening her back.

"W-Why do you ask?" Bethany replied.

"I heard you and Daddy talk about him," Jamie continued.

Bethany nodded slowly, reaching out to touch Jamie's back softly. "Tony is your uncle, Munchkin. You've met him. We just haven't seen him in a while."

"Why?"

"Because we had a fight."

"Why?"

"Because we didn't agree on something," Bethany explained.

"Why?" Jamie pressed on.

Opposed to sighing and losing her patience, Bethany remained calm. She wasn't bothered by Jamie's never-ending questions. His 'why' phase came and went and came again, and she was okay with him exploring the world through questions. "I guess what we thought was important was different," Bethany began, sitting down next to him. "Sometimes, what you think is right and what someone else thinks is right, isn't the same thing."

"Like when Daddy says it's bedtime, but I don't think it's bedtime yet?" Jamie asked with a questioning frown on his face.

"Yeah, in a way," Bethany allowed.

"Who was right?" Jamie persisted.

Bethany took the whisk from Jamie's hands, stopping his quest to mix the cake ingredients. "Hmm, we were fighting about more than one thing, baby boy."

"Are you still fighting?"

"Kinda," Bethany permitted softly.

"Did you say sorry?"

"Yes," Bethany replied. "But not everything is solved with 'sorry'."

"That's not what Daddy said," Jamie reminded his mother. "Daddy said always say sorry and always forgive."

"You're too smart for your own good, you know that?" Bethany sighed with a smile. "Mumma has a lot more work to do before Uncle Tony forgives her. _But_ if _you_ make a mistake, you get to just say sorry. Because you're still a kid."

"And you're a grown-up?" Jamie asked.

"Exactly," Bethany nodded. "Grown-ups have to do more when saying sorry."

"Are you sad Mumma?"

Bethany smiled again, leaning in to kiss his forehead. "I'm sad that I'm fighting with your Uncle Tony, but you, Greta, Rosie and Daddy make me _very _happy."

"Good," Jamie smiled brightly.

"Do you want to go out and play with Daddy and the girls?" Bethany offered.

"No, I want to stay with you," Jamie replied absentmindedly.

Her warm feeling fuzzy by her son's unconscious love, it was hard to wallow on past mistakes and forgotten 'I'm sorrys'.

* * *

Bethany let out a low hum as she leaned back in the tub, her skin touching Steve's chest. "Comfortable, Doll?"

"Always with you," Bethany replied with ease, letting the bubbles in the tub pop over her skin. Date nights were off the table for the next little while, but they were making sure to plan little things together. A bubble bath with champagne and candles was on the docket for that night.

Steve bowed his head and kissed her damn shoulder softly. "It's Valentine's Day next week. Is there anything you want to do?"

"This?" Bethany offered, closing her eyes. "I think this is the most relaxed I've been in a while."

Steve had to agree. Despite the struggle they had with getting Greta to fall asleep that night, with all three kids now asleep, they got to just focus on each other. There was seldom a time when they were both so relaxed at the same time. "We can do this," Steve allowed with a chuckle.

"No gifts," Bethany reminded him, laying her dainty hand on his upper thigh. "No _monetary _gifts."

"Are you saying only sexual gifts?" Steve laughed, reading between the lines.

"I'm saying that if we get a chance to exchange sexual gifts, why stop ourselves?" Bethany shrugged casually.

"I'll keep that in mind," Steve teased her. "Who's cooking that night?"

"You," Bethany replied, turning to look at him with a giant, teasing smile on his face.

Steve smiled back and kissed her softly. "Does that mean you make breakfast?"

"Oh, on second thought," Bethany quickly retracted. "No, I'll make dinner. You bring me breakfast in bed. And let me sleep in."

"It's Valentine's Day, not Mother's Day," Steve teased her.

"Do you not think I deserve breakfast in bed on Valentine's Day?" She continued to defend herself.

"You have a point. You deserve breakfast in bed everyday," Steve promised her, smiling as he looked down at her. Her body was covered with bubbles, her hair slicked back, damp from the water and her lashes casting shadows on her cheeks. She was beautiful. "I am absolutely in love with you," Steve whispered into her ear.

"I know," She smiled contently.

"Are you not going to say it back?" Steve joked.

"Aren't you tired of hearing me say it by now?" Bethany played along, keeping her eyes closed.

"Oh, you know what, you're right. I'm tired of hearing it," Steve chuckled. "In fact, I never want to hear it again."

"Hey, your words, not mine," Bethany laughed along. "Hey, but Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"I lovveeeeeee you," She sang with a wide smile, earning a few seconds of tickles from her husband. A couple minutes of satisfied silence passed between the two before Bethany words pierced the air. "Can I run something by you?"

"What's on your mind?" Steve whispered comfortingly.

"I'm just… I'm thinking about teaching Jamie how to read," Bethany began. "I know he's young, but he's just asking all these well-thought out questions and forming _full, highly intellectual_ sentences. His academic level is just so high… While I don't want to rush him into growing up, I also don't want to deprive his mind from the stimulation it needs, you know?"

"I know," Steve vowed. "I'll support whatever you want to do."

"I know you'll support me," Bethany sighed. "But I want your input. He's your kid too, Steve. I don't want to carry this weight of making the wrong decision."

"Doll," Steve began, shifting her body in his arms so he could see her face better. "I don't think teaching Jamie to read is a bad idea. I don't think that he'll grow up and hate the fact that we taught him to read too soon. You're right—he's looking for a higher level of academic stimulation."

"I just…"

"You don't want him to grow up despising you the way that Tony did with Howard," Steve immediately finished. "I know. I know you're worried about that. But from what I've heard, you're _not_ going down the same path as Howard. You're _here_. And you aren't forcing Jamie to learn to impress us. Okay? You're an incredible mother. And if you want, I'll also help him learn to read. That way, it's on both of us."

"You're too sweet," Bethany whispered, leaning up to collect a soft kiss. "He asked me about Tony."

"Jamie did?" Steve asked with a frown. "When?"

"Umm, on the girls' birthday," Bethany replied.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Steve wondered.

Bethany shrugged. "It never came up, honestly. We spend most of our day chasing around Greta or trying to get Rosie to be independent, all while giving Jamie the attention he deserves. I would have brought it up, but I—I just didn't think about it until now."

"What did he say?" Steve questioned, accepting her answer.

"He asked who he was," Bethany began. "That made me feel a little guilty, honestly. The fact that he doesn't remember him. But also, he was a baby the last time he saw Tony. And then he was wondering why we haven't seen him. Steve, the questions that this sweet baby boy was asking were _in-depth _questions. Followed by 'why' questions, obviously. But I'm just constantly amazed by how much he understands."

"He's something else," Steve agreed. "He takes after you, you know."

This earned Steve a smile from his wife. He knew that Jamie's intelligence wasn't from his genetics. Or at least, his _original _genetics. But it wasn't too difficult to assume that Jamie took after his mother when it came to mental development. He took after the _Starks_. "I'm only going to say this because I don't know you won't do it on your own-"

"Steve-" Bethany tried to interrupt, but he didn't let her.

"If you want to reach out to him, I think you should," Steve repeated for what felt like the millionth time. But as always, her answer was the same. That she didn't want to hinder any progress he made. That she didn't deserve his apology. That she didn't want to reopen old wounds. And lastly, that she didn't want anyone to be able to trace them back to their house.

"I appreciate you for supporting me if I did," she ended with. "I really do, Steve. It means a lot. But… there's just too many downsides to it."

"Everything will be okay someday," Steve told her, promising her something that he hadn't dared to before. But in that moment, he believed his words. He believed that someday, everything would be okay, somehow.

* * *

Slowly closing the fridge door, careful not to make any noise, Steve brought the eggs to the pan. He skipped his run that morning so that he could make breakfast for everyone, with the hopes of letting Bethany sleep in as long as possible. If they weren't buying each other Valentine's Day gifts, the very least he could do was let her sleep in, especially since sleeping was one of her favorite past times. Moving the baby monitor on the countertop to put the eggs down, he began to make pancakes. He was keeping an ear out for any noise from upstairs—he didn't want any of the kids to wake up Bethany prematurely. His plan was to run up the stairs and whisk an awake child down the stairs before the noise could even float up the hall to Bethany's ears.

Soon enough, he could hear a baby starting to mumble from the baby monitor. Putting his whisk down, he zipped up the stairs and scooped Rosie out of her crib before she could call out to anyone. "Shh," Steve instructed the baby, kissing her forehead.

Rosie looked so much like Bethany in the morning—both of them would roll over with sleep lines on their forehead and their curls would gain a bunch of height. "Good morning, Rosie," Steve whispered to her.

"No, Momma," Rosie rubbed her eyes, her lips curling out.

"Momma is sleeping," Steve explained. "You're going to hang out with Daddy this morning."

Rosie didn't seemed too thrilled with this, but rested her tired head against Steve's shoulder anyways. Kissing the top of her head, Steve carried her down the stairs. He didn't take offense to Rosie wanting Bethany that morning. Some mornings, she wanted Steve. Some mornings she wanted Jamie. There was even some days when she wanted her twin. Rosie was a clingy little girl—and she changed her mind on who she wanted to cling to every single morning.

Knowing full well that if he put Rosie down now, she'd start crying for someone, most likely Bethany, he kept her in his arms as he continued to mix together the ingredients. A few minutes later, he could hear Jamie crawl out of his bed and thankfully, started down the stairs.

"Morning Daddy!" Jamie greeted him loudly.

"Shh," Steve chuckled. "Momma's still sleeping."

Putting a hand over his lips, Jamie repeated the sentiments quieter. "Oh, pancakes! With chocolate chips?"

"With chocolate chips," Steve confirmed as Jamie pulled himself onto his chair at the table. If Steve had it his way, the kids wouldn't be eating sugar for breakfast. But Bethany had introduced chocolate into their breakfast many times and there was very little Steve could do to stop it. And anytime he would put up a fight, she would remind him that a little bit of sugar wasn't going to hurt them.

"I love chocolate," Jamie announced. "Do you like chocolate, Daddy?"

"Sure," Steve shrugged, bouncing Rosie in his arms as she got a little restless, but she continued to fight.

"No down!" Rosie called out loudly.

Allowing her down, Steve instructed Jamie to play with his sister as he finished making the pancakes for the family. Just as he was flipping the last pancake and put it into the warming oven, he could hear Greta starting to fidget in her room. Quickly switching the stove off, he ran back up the stairs to get Greta. When he came into the room, she was standing up in her crib, her little hands wrapped around the crib's safety bars.

"Don't," Steve warned Greta, closing the door carefully behind him as he entered the room. "Greta," he said sternly as the little girl smiled, starting to jump in her crib.

"No," Greta giggled, happily disobeying her father.

Steve moved over to scoop the girl out of her crib, but she refused to let her fingers unwrap from the safety bars. She continued to giggle as Steve dangled her upside down. "Let go," he instructed her, holding onto her with one hand so that the other one could untangle her hands from the bar. After a few moments of struggle, he successfully pulled Greta away from the crib and safely into his arms. It seemed ridiculously that Captain America was struggling to win this little battle with a one-year old. And sure, he could easily pull her away from the crib with his full strength—but it was the very fact that when he was dealing with his kids he was completely unable to activate any strength against them. It was like he was little Steve from Brooklyn again, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Why do you insist on being such a pain in my backside?" Steve asked his daughter, poking her stomach lightly. This set Greta into another fit of laughter. As absolutely annoying as she could be, insisting on ignoring every and any instruction she was given, her laughter filled his heart with so much happiness.

"Okay, we're going to be quiet now," Steve began, realizing immediately that she most likely would ignore him anyways. "Momma is still sleeping."

"No," Greta shook her head.

"No we're not being quiet?" Steve asked helplessly, opening the door.

"No," Greta said again, pointing her finger in the direction of his bedroom. Steve sighed when he saw that the door was opened a tad, enough room for a one-year old to crawl into the room.

"Rosie," Steve muttered under his breath, walking down the hall. When he opened the door, he saw Rosie up on the bed, poking a now-awake Bethany's face.

"What are you doing?" Bethany hummed with a tired smile on her face. "What's that?"

"Nose," Rosie announced.

"Good job," Bethany congratulated, reaching out to poke Rosie's nose before noticing Steve. "Good morning."

"I tried," Steve promised her with a sigh. "I tried to let you sleep in. There's more of them than me."

"That's never a problem in battle," she winked as Steve walked over to sit on the bed, place Greta next to her sister.

"Yeah, well throwing them across the room isn't exactly an option," Steve reminded her, leaning down to steal a long kiss. "Happy Valentine's Day, Doll Face."

"Hmm," Bethany moaned, raising a hand to her lips. "Happy Valentine's Day, babe."

"I'm sorry she woke you up."

Bethany shrugged, reaching out to play with Rosie's curls. "I woke up to little hands on my face. My second favorite alarm clock."

"What's your first?" Steve asked, taking a moment to really look at her. Just like the twins, Bethany's natural curls had gained some volume through the night and she had a long sleep line across her cheek.

The way in which Bethany's eyebrow twitched upwards in a seductive way answered his question. It was amazing how what was once embarrassing for Steve back in the forties was now just a fond memory between the two of them.

_ Steve's room on the base was dark, with no windows to let any natural light in. But his eyes had adjusted in the dark and he had spent the last twenty minutes staring at the beautiful angle in his arms. Even though they had been together for a few months, every time he looked at her, he had a hard time believing that she was _his_. Two years ago, he would only dream that a woman so beautiful would look at him without laughing. And yet, this woman had never laughed in a mocking way. She had been incredibly supportive. And now, she was lying in his bed, lying in his arms after spending the night. _

_ There was things about her that he discovered while watching Bethany sleep. Like how she always slept with her mouth slightly opened, but never snored. And how her hair would get messy throughout the night. And how she would smack her lips when she woke up. And how she would wiggle her hips in her sleep. Like she currently was. _

_ Steve held back a moan as her backside wiggled against his crotch. He loved holding her while she slept. But this little habit of her made it difficult for him. It didn't matter that he was no longer a virgin, he was still extremely self-conscious. Steve sucked him a deep breath through his teeth as he could feel the blood in his body rush towards his crotch. And of course, once that started to happen, he had a hard time thinking about anything else. His mind clouded with memories of the night before, the week before, every love making session they had shared. _

_ All he could think about was her chest heaving, her brow furrowing and the way her teeth dug into her lip as she climaxed. "Shoot," Steve mumbled to himself, his erection wedged between himself and Bethany's backside. "Go away," Steve whispered to himself, willing for his body to relax before Bethany woke up. _

_ "No, don't," he heard Bethany mumbled, pressing her backside into him harder causing him to groan. _Too late_, Steve thought to himself. _

_"Beth, I'm sor-"_

_ "Shhh," she quickly interrupted. "Don't apologize for this amazing wake up call."_

_ "Amazing?" Steve repeated, confused. _

_ "Yeah," Bethany nodded, turning in his arms so that they were face-to-face. Steve felt his face redden when Bethany carefully threw one of her legs over his body, pressing her body to his. "Morning sex is the best reason to wake up."_

_ "I-is it?" Steve stuttered, moving his hand towards her back softly. _

_ "Isn't it?" Bethany purred, reaching up to kiss him. When she pulled his bottom lip with her teeth, his hips bucked forward automatically. "Don't apologize," Bethany quickly spoke before he could. "I like it. I like waking up to you. Like this."_

_ The beating of his heart was overwhelming, but everything about her radiated sexuality. "I-I-" _

_ "Steve," Bethany teased him, reaching down to take a hold of his erection. "Are you still shy about sex?"_

_ "I-I-" His breath hitched in his chest when he felt her hot, wet core tracing the tip of his penis, her fingers dancing up his chest. _

_ "Yes?" Bethany encouraged him, letting out a whimper when Steve gathered up his courage and thrusted into her. Her fingers dug into his bicep, Steve rolling onto of her. She looked up at him with lust in her eyes, a content smile on her face. "That's more like it," she quickly moaned before Steve leaned down to kiss her passionately. Steve began to thrust against her hips, Bethany's legs moving to wrap around him. "See?" She said when their lips broke apart. "Best way to wake up."_

* * *

Bethany let out a groan before laughing as Steve forcefully pushed her up against the shower tiles. "Oww!"

"Sorry," Steve laughed, attacking her lips. Bethany fingers found their way into Steve's wet hair. While Bethany put the kids to bed, Steve had gone to take a shower. Because it was still Valentine's Day, Bethany hopped into the shower, slapping his ass so hard that it echoed throughout the bathroom, leading to him picking her up and shoving her against the shower wall.

"I'm all wet," Bethany continued to laugh, looking down at her clothes.

"Well, that's the idea," Steve winked, lowering his lips to her sweet spot on her neck.

"I meant my _clothes_," Bethany giggled. "Ohh, that's nice."

"I could take off your clothes and solve _that_ problem," Steve offered, pushing some wet hair out of his face before taking a step back to let her down. The two of them quickly went to work pulling her wet clothes off her body, tossing them onto the bathroom floor with a loud _plop_. Steve pushed her back up against the wall put this time didn't kiss her lips. Moving to get on his knees, he separated her legs apart, looking up to her with a smirk.

"What cha waiting for, Rogers?" She teased, intertwining her fingers into his wet hair and guiding him forward. She let out a little hum as his beard tickled the inside of her legs, his tongue reaching upwards and gently tasting her.

Her breath hitched as he worked his magic, starting slowly, tickling her and driving her to desperation. Bethany was absolutely in _love_ with his beard. At first, it tickled her when he kissed her. But now when he kissed her, she felt nothing. But when he kissed up and down her leg, it only added to her pleasure. Steve took a hold of one of her legs and lifted it up to rest on his shoulder, giving him a much better angle. Looking down, she hummed as he spread her folds open, licking up and down her folds, pressing her face up against her as he carefully kissed her. Reaching down to grab a fist full of his hair, Bethany lightly tugged on it, pulling him upwards. Meeting his beautifully beard face, she pressed up on the tips of her toes and stole a kiss before grabbing his bicep and twisting so that they switched places.

"What are you up to?" Steve asked, rising a brow.

"I think you know," Bethany replied, shimmying down to her knees and looking up at him as he had previously done. With her hands on his hips, she lowered her lips to his erection, slowly taking him into her mouth a little more with each bob of her head. She sucked in her cheeks, licked up his base and pulled his hips towards her. She glanced up at him, his blue eyes dark, looking back at her as she slid her lips up and down his length, feeling her own body react with pleasure at knowing his was by her movements.

She continued her play, knowing what he liked and what drove him crazy. Taking his base in one hand, she pumped him as he lips continues their exploration, giving him a soft squeeze as she moved, earning her the deepest of moans from her husband. "Beth," he whispered under his breath.

She broke apart from him, pulling her spine up straight so that her breasts aligned with his erection. She rubbed her hard nipples against him before Steve quickly took a hold of her arm and pulled her up and kissed her hard. Bethany's hands explored his chest while she moved her left leg up to rest on the soap dish. The height difference between them always made sex standing up difficult, but they always made it work. Steve hitched his hand around his hips, not breaking their kiss as he pressed into her. Bethany's back made contact with the bathroom tiles again, but she felt no pain as the sound of their bodies meeting filled her ears.

She could feel her entire body lighting up with pleasure as he pushed into her repeatedly. Breaking their kiss, Bethany let out a high pitched cry, wrapping her arms around his neck. Steve reached down to lift her up, his hands holding her by the knees. With their faces even, Bethany pressed her forehead up against his for a moment before they worked up a rhythm that had them both struggling to breath properly. Steve was hitting all the right place, using all the right speed and moaning and groaning at all the right times. Bethany was almost in tears from the ecstasy she felt. A moan built up in her throat but never made it out as her body became to spasm from her orgasm. Steve continued to thrust, not ready to give his wife a break, causing her to dig her teeth into his shoulder to keep from screaming.

With his hips becoming more aggressive and erratic, Bethany knew that he was close but when she tried to encourage him, all that came out was a serious of moans. She felt the pressure building up inside her again before Steve let out a loud and long groan, his hips slowing down, pushing Bethany up against the wall to steady himself. Bethany touched the side of his face softly before his head fell to her shoulder, exhaustion filling in.

"Well fuck," Bethany let out, softly caressing Steve's back. "Remember when you were too afraid to do things like that?"  
"I know," Steve panted against her shoulder. "What was I thinking?"

"I love you," Bethany told him happily.

* * *

May 30, 2018

Bethany settled down on the couch next to Steve, laying her head on his shoulder. The kids were on the floor, all staring at the television with their mouths hanging open slightly. _Beauty and the Beast_ was currently playing, a favorite of Jamie's at the moment. The twins seemed to like it too—even though they originally were _terrified_ by it. The day had been pretty calm. The family seemed to have fallen into a nice routine with both Greta and Rosie finally starting to _listen_ to their parents. Greta still earned her fair amount of timeouts, but she was on her way to behaving. Or at least, not misbehaving as often.

Steve kissed Bethany's forehead, earning a smile from the woman. She felt warmth travel throughout her body as Molly settled herself beside Bethany. In that moment, her heart felt impossibly full. And in moments like these that Bethany would say to Steve "let's have another baby."

Steve chuckled, kissing her forehead again. "You always say that when they're calm. And then when they aren't, you change your mind."

"Hear me out," Bethany began. "The girls are almost one and a half. If we get pregnant now, they'll be two when the new baby is born."

"Okay but hear _me _out," Steve countered. "They'll be more trouble when they are two."

"That's not a fact, it's a speculation," Bethany pointed out.

"Agreed," Steve allowed. "But a speculation that's probably going to happen. I'm not saying 'no', I'm saying let's be smart about this."

Bethany's interest increased at his words. "And being smart means waiting how long?"

"Being smart means seeing if their good streak stays up for a little bit longer," Steve chuckled. "And whether it does or doesn't, we'll figure out if it's right. It's not like you're getting any older."

"Yeah, but you are," Bethany whispered, turning her attention back to the television.

"Hey," Steve said softly. "Everything is going to be fine. Unless you don't want to be saddled with an old man for your husband."

"It's not that," Bethany replied, ignoring Steve's joke. "It's that I want to grow old _with _you, not just watch you grow old."

"I know, Doll," Steve promised, wrapping his arm around her. She had been singing the same song for years. "I know."

The room fell silent as the family continued to watch the movie. It was only when a loud shrill ring echoed through the house that Steve and Bethany's attention pulled away from the screen. "What is that?" Bethany asked, as the couple got off the couch, following the sound. Suddenly, Steve ran up the stairs at full speed. "Steve?" Bethany asked, moving as fast as she could up the stairs. "What's wr-" She began, stopping when she saw Steve on a clunky flip phone.

"He did _what_?" Steve asked, gesturing for Bethany to walk over to him.

"Steve?" Bethany voiced with a slight panic. "Is it Tony?"

"It's Bruce," Steve answered quickly.

"Bruce?" Bethany replied with confusion. The last she heard, Bruce was still M.I.A., and now it seemed like he was the owner of the phone Steve had given Tony in case of emergencies. But there was one thing Bethany knew for certain; their vacation was over.

"I'm on it," Steve confirmed before hanging up the phone and moving to get his more _modern_ phone.

"On what? What's happening?" Bethany asked impatiently, her heart hammering as he dialed Sam's number and put it on speakerphone. "Steve Rogers-"

_"Hey man, what's up?" _Sam's voice rang through.

"Where's Wanda?" Steve quickly asked.

_"She's with Vision. Why?" _Sam asked apprehensively.

Steve sighed with frustration. "I just got a call from Banner."

_"Banner?"_ Sam questioned, just as confused as Bethany was.

"I don't know the whole story, but I know we have to move quick," Steve began, filling both Sam and Bethany in on the phone call. "Earth is under an attack. Some… _aliens I guess_, attacked New York. They were looking for the Infinity Stones. Tony was able to get them to retreat back into space, but he's still up there and we have no way of contacting him. But we _need_ to keep Vision safe. If they are after Infinity Stones, he'll be next."

Bethany felt her blood run cold at Steve's words. It was a _lot_ to take in. But knowing that Tony was somewhere in _outer space_ and they weren't able to contact him was making her antsy. Especially with the knowledge that Earth was under attack… again. They had barely been able to save it the last time.

_"They're in Edinburgh," _Sam quickly informed him.

"And where are you?" Steve added.

_"Serbia."_

"Perfect, I'm right in the middle. Swing by and pick me up." And with that, Steve hung up, moving to the closet to get his suit.

"Steve," Bethany began sternly, waiting for him to give her proper acknowledgement.

"Bethany, we agreed that if something like this happened-"

"So you're just going to run off?" Bethany asked, bewildered, already knowing the answer. It felt like she was stuck in some sort of nightmare, one where Steve would wake her up by kissing her forehead and holding her in his arms. But that wasn't happening. She _wasn't_ sleeping. This was reality.

"I don't have a choice, Beth," Steve reminded her, pulling his suit off a hanger. It looked _rough_. It's colour was faded and the suit was covered in tears and spots of blood from when he last wore it.

"They won't be here immediately, please slow down and tell me what happened," Bethany begged, the pounding of her heart making her nauseous. Just moments ago they were talking about possibly having another baby, and now this?

"I told you all that I know," Steve said, slowing his actions when he realized just how rattled she was. "All Bruce said was that Earth is in trouble from someone called 'Thanos'. Apparently he's collecting Infinity Stones."

"And what happens if he gets all of them?"  
Steve sighed, struggling to relay Bruce's words. "He could wipe out half the population."

"Wipe out?" Bethany repeated, eyes wide and filled with confusion. "Like with an earthquake? Fire?"

"Does it matter how? Half the population would be gone." Steve touched her shoulder softly. "If I don't go, if I don't keep Vision safe, Thanos could destroy _everything_. Everything we've worked for, everything anyone has ever worked for."

Bethany nodded weakly, her eye gaze falling to the floor. _Everything, _she repeated to herself. Steve began to change into his uniform as Bethany stood there, letting the last two minutes sink in before saying "I'm coming with you."

"You're doing what now?" Steve asked, halting his movements.

Snapping out of her haze, she met his eyes. She felt a glimpse of her past self return, the fighter, the spy, ready to return to battle after years of suppression. But this time, the fight was more serious. This time, she had something, _everything_, to lose if she didn't fight. She wasn't willing to sit this one out when her involvement could very well change the outcome. "If this is it, if this is the end of the world, I'm not sitting back and watching. If this is it, you need all the help you can get. And that includes me."

"What about the kids?" Steve asked, no fight in his voice. She knew her husband well enough to know that he wasn't going to fight her on this. To know that he felt the same way she did—if it really was the end of the world, she was needed on the battlefield.

"I don't know," Bethany admitted. "I- I drop them off somewhere? With someone we trust? But if he can just _will away_ half the population, who knows if me being with them would make a difference. Steve, protecting them just might mean I have to leave them."

She could feel hot tears pool in her eyes, but she was fighting to keep them down. The idea of dropping them off _anywhere_ without her was heartbreaking. But _this was it_. This is the thing that was going to take Steve, Sam, Natasha and Wanda out of hiding. They weren't sure what they were up against, but they knew that the Infinity Stones were _powerful_. And they had only experienced a small portion of their power. With all of the Stones, they were up against what was likely to be an impossible fight. _If _Thanos got the Stones.

"Okay," Steve breathed, cupping her face. "If this is what you feel like is what's best, then okay. But we have to figure out what to do with the kids first. We can't just leave them here."

"Obviously," Bethany replied, turning away from him so that she could think. If she had to leave the kids somewhere, she wanted to know that it was with someone she trusted. And at the end of the day, the people she trusted would be standing next to her on the battlefield. All except one.

"I'll take the quinjet to New York," Bethany announced. "I know it's been two years, but Jen owes us a favour. And then I'll… I'll meet you wherever you are."

"Are you _sure?_" Steve said strongly, searching her eyes for any signs of wavering.

But Bethany knew he wouldn't find any. As terrified as she was, she was absolutely positive that this was the right thing to do, even if she was terrified. And she told Steve that much.

* * *

****A/N: And so it begins. **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Bethany had no suit to pull on, so she settled for a pair of jeggings, a tank top and a black leather jacket. It would do until she could find something better. The plan was to leave for New York when Sam and Natasha picked up Steve, which meant they had some time to gather their thoughts. And when they did, they realized that they actually had a lot to do before they could disappear for what could be a very long time. Steve began by going to feed the farm animals, giving them lots of food and water before ensuring that if the animals needed, they would be free to safely leave the barn. The last thing Steve wanted was to return back to starving animals, or even worse, dead animals, when all this was over.

Bethany was rapidly packing the essentials for the kids before realizing she _also_ had to do the same thing for the cat. They couldn't very well leave a housecat to defend for herself for who-knows-how-long. She felt ridiculous—the world could very well be ending and she was packing as if they were going on vacation. But having kids changed preparing for the worst. Especially when they didn't exactly have a neighbour to pop in or drop the kids off. Being far from civilization was what they had needed over the last two years. But now, it was making their situation more difficult.

"Where are we going?" Jamie asked, the movie entertaining the kids coming to an end.

"Home," Bethany found herself saying. It technically wasn't a lie. New York _was_ home. To her. And to Steve. But definitely not to their kids.

Which is why it didn't surprise her when Jamie responded with "we are home."

Bethany couldn't bring herself to reply to his comment, scooping Molly off the couch and quickly placing her in the cat carrier. Immediate cries of displeasure erupted from the fat calico cat, but Bethany didn't have the time to soothe her. "Up," Bethany prompted her son. "We need to get into the quinjet."

"Why?" Jamie asked, his brow furrowed.

When the back door opened, Bethany felt reassured to see Steve ready to help her. "Might have just made a huge financial mistake, but they are free to roam in case we can't come back."

_Can't come back_, Bethany thought to herself. A small part of her really thought that they would always lived there. And yes, the other, larger part of herself wished that they wouldn't have to. That they would be allowed to go back to New York. But the farmhouse _had_ become a home for the five of them. There were pictures on the fridge, drawn by the kids and pencil marks on the wall marking the children's growth. There were toys on the ground, and mugs beside the sink, waiting to be washed. And just like that, they were leaving. And they weren't sure if they would be going back.

_Why does this keep happening_? Bethany found herself asking. It seemed like every time they settled into a home, they were forced out of it. Bethany looked up at Steve, who was now picking the two girls up. He had been her rock for so long, but she knew that despite his superhuman abilities, he was still _only human_. The prospect of turning their lives upside down again was affecting him just like it was her.

"They should be here soon," Steve announced, pressuring Bethany to move faster. Picking up the cat carrier and taking Jamie's hand in her own, the family went to the quinjet. Jamie repeatedly asked where they were going, and he got to response from either of his parents. After securing the twins into their car seats he had brought out from the truck, he went to get the bags Bethany had packed. Bethany sat in the pilot's chair, turning on the controls. She had no idea where Jen was living now, but she knew that she could easily find out.

Bethany heard a familiar ping come from the dashboard and she knew that the other quinjet was in the area. Turning in her seat, she saw Steve put the bags in a compartment holder. "They're here," Bethany told him softly, looking at him carefully. It was bizarre to see him in his suit with a beard and the longer hair he had been sporting. That, paired with the worn out suit, Bethany didn't see Captain America at all.

Steve nodded, moving to kiss the girls' heads, the twins preoccupied with the toys Bethany had given them before he moved to Jamie. "You're going to listen to Momma, right?"

"Where are you going?" Jamie asked, a slight variation of the question he had been asking nonstop: where are _we_ going.

"To work," Steve said simply. "You're going to be good, right?"

"Yes," Jamie replied, his voice a tad softer, the same tone he used when trying to solve a question. Bethany got up from her chair and passed Steve on her way to the quinjet entrance. She could hear him tell the three kids that he loved them and Bethany felt her heart shatter. It wasn't the regular 'I love you' that came with bedtime. It sounded like a final 'I love you'.

"Don't," Bethany quickly told Steve when he came up behind her. The wind started to pick up as the other quinjet began to descend. "Don't say 'I love you' that way to me. I'm seeing you again."

"I know," Steve nodded as he stepped in front of her, looking down at her stern features.

"You're telling where you are when I drop off the kids," Bethany continued. "And we're doing this _together_."

"Well, things only work out when we work together," Steve pointed out. Bethany allowed a small chuckle to escape her lips. It was true; when they worked together, their results were much better than when they didn't.

"Be safe," Bethany said, reaching up to touch his face for a moment. "Don't do anything stupid. I still need you."

"I won't," Steve promised, looking behind him as the second quinjet landed. "I have to go."

Bethany nodded, reaching up for a small kiss. She watched as Steve walked from one quinjet to the other, but before he got on, he turned around with a small. "For the record though, I _do _love you."

Bethany felt a sad smile tug at her lips, watching as he disappeared into the other quinjet and it took off. Taking in a deep breath, she gathered all her strength. She knew once she boarded the quinjet, Jamie would begin asking questions again, and she wasn't sure she knew all the answers to his questions. She wasn't sure he wanted to _consider_ the answers to his questions.

* * *

Steve's heart was hammering. It had been almost two full years since he last wore his uniform, two full years since he last went into battle. Two full years since he had left his family. And in those two full years, he knew that this day would come. He didn't want it to, but he knew that it would. It wasn't just the end of the world, it was what would happen if they succeeded in saving the world. Would they immediately be whisked away to some prison? All their accomplishments thrown away for their previous crimes? Would he see his family again? He had left so haphazardly, grabbing a quick kiss from Bethany as he rushed to one quinjet, his family's to the other. He felt sick knowing that he might never see them again. It seemed like every time he went into battle, he just gained one more thing he could lose. But then again, it was just one more thing to fight for.

"Down there," Natasha's voice rang through Steve's thoughts. Steve peered out the window, seeing the small battle unfold under them. Feeling slightly lost without his shield, Steve grabbed the edge of the star on his uniform and ripped it off. He wasn't Captain America anymore. He was just Steve Rogers, fighting for his family.

As Sam landed the quinjet, Steve got a head start on the team, running along some train tracks until he reached the opening where the train was currently rushing by. With the train safely passed, a long spear came flying towards him, but he caught it with ease, stepping forward with a locked jaw. His eyes met the strange figures that were attacking Wanda and Vision, both who now looked relieved to have much needed backup. Having them appropriately distracted, Sam was able to swoop in and kick one of the creatures across the platform and into a nearby café. Moving quickly towards the second figure, Sam fired at him while Steve threw the spear towards Natasha. The blonde caught it with ease and engaged the creature in combat. As the creature fell to the ground, the spear flew out of Natasha's hands and back to the first one who had gotten back up and was ready to fight. Steve immediately moved forward, picking up an abandoned weapon and blocking the blow from Natasha, allowing the ex-spy to quickly join in on the fight. Soon, Sam swung back in and kicked the creature back towards where the other alien lay.

The three of them crowded the two, Sam taking out his guns quickly.

"Get up," one of them spoke.

"I can't," was the response.

"We don't wanna kill you," Natasha began coolly. "But we will."

"You'll never get the chance again," the creature said matter-of-factly before pressing a button. The three watched as the two are beamed up, the weapon in Steve's hand being pulled from his grip.

Natasha sighed. "Well, that could have gone better."

"It could have gone worse," Steve reminder her. "We still have Vision _and_ the Mind Stone. We did what we came to do."

"Yeah, but clearly we still have more work to do," Natasha added as they made their way over to Vision and Wanda.

"Can you stand?" Sam asked Vision, giving him his hand.

Steve watched as Vision's appearance began to shimmer, indicating major damage in his system. "Thank you, Captain," Vision's voice, now distorted, spoke.

"Let's get you on the jet, Steve said sternly, knowing that Natasha was right. They still had work to do.

On the way back to the quinjet, Steve knew that Wanda was in for a lecture. And sure enough, as soon as the quinjet took off, Natasha started with "I thought we had a deal. Stay close, check in. Don't take any chances." If Natasha's tone wasn't piercing enough, her walk towards the front of the quinjet _was_.

"I'm sorry," Wanda apologized. "We just wanted time."

Steve felt his heart go out to the couple. No matter how_ odd_ he thought the pairing was, he knew what it was like. If the couple wasn't together, Vision would have been in New York, at the Avengers Facility. And while they couldn't be sure, if he was there, there was a better chance that he wouldn't be wounded. And a fully-functioning Vision was a great benefit for the team. Especially now, when he needed to be able to defend himself _and_ the stone.

"Where to Cap?" Sam called out.

Steve was silent for a moment, trying to figure out what was next. Looking toward the couple, he knew that the best thing for the team was to _have_ the team. The _entire_ team. "Home," Steve instructed. He knew he didn't need to clarify—Sam wasn't going to take them back to the farmhouse. It was time to return to the New Avengers Facility.

"You sure about that?" Natasha asked, not doubting his decision, but making sure that Steve knew the consequences they may face.

"The past doesn't matter right now," Steve explained. "Only what happens moving forward."

* * *

In Bethany's lifetime, she had been in situations where she had been, for lack of a better word, helpless. Especially when some jackass would send a million bullets into her stomach, or drop a brick on her skull. Even when she had been in labour, unable to do much but cry and scream. But today, Bethany knew that she looked just as helpless as she felt. And even more, knew that she _never_ wanted to be a single mother.

The elevator to Jen's apartment was out of service, so Bethany was forced to climb down the stairs to the second floor with two sleeping twins, a young boy, a cat carrier and three bags filled with essentials after landing the quinjet on the roof. On top of all of that, she didn't even know if Jen was home. According to the computer scheduling system at the hospital she was working at, she had the day off. But she very well could be out doing errands. Or helping out at the hospital, since the city had just had an attack. Bethany tried to ignore that fact, paying attention to juggling all of her kids and bags while trying to stay calm. Steve had called her from the quinjet. They had Vision, and they were on their way to the New Avengers' Facility. But on top of them being wanted criminals and there being an unlikely chance of being welcomed with open arms, Vision was hurt. But Steve reminded Bethany that the important thing was that Vision was safe. For now.

Which only made Bethany think about someone they had no idea if they were safe—Tony. She was biting back the scenarios her mind was playing out for her. The last thing she needed was to dwell on the what ifs.

Reaching the second floor, Bethany was beyond pleased to see that Jen's door was the first one by the stairs. Unable to control herself, she banged on the door in a hurry with her foot, barely holding herself together. When the door opened, Bethany felt a sob of relief course through her.

"Bethany?" Jen asked, clearly confused at the image in front of her, one that Bethany was sure would be hilarious in any other situation.

"I'm calling in a favour," Bethany quickly explained. Jen welcomed the circus that was the Rogers family into her apartment, instructing her to place the sleeping twins on the couch, and the vocally unhappy Molly on the ground. Jen barely had a moment to hug her friend when Bethany exploded into a hot mess of explanation. Jen nodded, confused but having seen the attack on television.

"Go sit," Jen instructed to the frantic woman as she went to fill a glass with water. Sitting at the little round table in Jen's kitchen, Bethany's hand shook as she accepted the cup her friend was offering. Jamie was clinging to his mother's jacket, his little fingers clutching to the leather material, no doubt his fingernails leaving little moon shaped marks. Taking a sip of her water, Bethany reached out to put a comforting hand on her son's back. Jen took the seat across from Bethany.

"I saw the news," Jen confirmed. "I know what's happening. And I know you have to go."

"I shouldn't be asking-" Bethany began.

"I left my son with you. I didn't ask. I just did. If you can do this with anyone, it's definitely me."

"You left _one _ kid with me. I'm leaving three."

Jen looked back at the two sleeping babies on her couch. In that moment, they looked like little angels. And of course, they were. Or at least Rosie was. Greta had a little too much attitude to be an angel. A charmer for sure, but not an angel. And Rosie was most likely going to freak out when she woke up and realized that both of her parents were nowhere to be seen. And what about Jamie? Who was old enough to have a general understanding of what was happening, but not having developed the emotional control to deal with it.

"Bethany, do you _want_ to leave them with me?" Jen asked carefully, seeing the worry in the mother's eyes. "Do you think that leaving them with me is the best thing?"

There was no judgement in her voice. It was almost like Jen was making sure that Bethany felt like she was making the right decision. And she _knew_ she was, but it didn't make leaving her babies any easier. "In the past, I've wanted to sit it out to protect them. But this time… I think the only way to protect them is to leave them. But that doesn't make it any easier. And that's not saying anything about you. It's just…"

"They're your babies," Jen finished.

"They aren't easy," Bethany added. "Maybe this one," she said gesturing to Jamie, who had been absolutely silent. "But Greta isn't. And Rosie is clingy-"

"Stop making excuses," Jen interrupted again. "I'll be fine. Theo is at the neighbours, taking care of their dog. I'll ask him to come over and help. We'll be fine. They'll be fine. I'll be fine."

Bethany brought the glass back to her lips, finishing the water. In truth, she didn't feel any better. She hated whenever she had to leave her babies. But she really felt like she didn't have an option this time. Looking down at Jamie, who was still clutching his mother, Bethany looked at his deep blue eyes—Steve's eyes. She knew that she wasn't the only one struggling to leave. She knew Steve felt that way too. But he had been so strong about it. And she needed to be too.

"Where are you going, Momma?" Jamie asked quietly.

"I'm going to work," Bethany explained softly, pushing his hair out of his face.

"Like Daddy?" Jamie prompted.

"_With_ Daddy," Bethany corrected. "Jamie, I need you to be a big boy right now. I don't want to leave you, but I have to. I know it's confusing and scary. But I promised you, I'm coming back for you, okay?"

Usually, that promise wouldn't be empty. But they weren't sure what they were dealing with. Bethany going to battle against _literal magic_ meant that this could very well be it. But she needed Jamie to be strong. Not for Jen's sake, but for her own.

"Promise me, Jamie," Bethany pressed on when he said nothing. "Tell me you're going to be a good boy."

"I promise," Jamie replied quietly, his lip quivering. Her motherly instincts were telling her to hold and kiss him, to do whatever she could to make everything better. But she _had _to push them away.

"Jen is a family friend," Bethany began, knowing that Jamie wouldn't remember Jen after all the years apart. "She's going to take care of you and your sisters until we're done working, okay?"

Jamie nodded sadly, not ready to let go of his mother just yet. Sensing this, Bethany pulled him into her arms and held him tight. She could feel her heart shattering. "I love you, Momma," Jamie whispered into her ear.

Closing her eyes to hold back any tears from falling, Bethany whispered the sentiments back before pulling herself away from the boy. Taking in a deep breath, she turned away from Jamie and went towards the sleeping girls. She could only look at them for a moment before forcing herself to look away. Falling apart wasn't an option.

Finally, she kneeled down to where Molly's cat carrier was. Unzipping the bag, she pulled the fat calico cat out, kissing the top of her head before letting her explore Jen's apartment. In the moment, it felt like she was leaving her entire heart. But then she remembered that Steve was expecting her and she was able to give Jen a nod before immediately leaving the apartment without another word.

* * *

Steve had instructed Bethany to call him as soon as she dropped off the kids and had been on edge waiting for her to follow through. They were almost in New York, not too far behind, and Steve was getting worried that Bethany would decide to stay with the kids.

Not that he blamed her. But after what he saw, what he heard and what he foresaw could happen, he knew that they _needed_ her. They needed all the help they could get. Especially since Tony was somewhere off-planet.

Steve's heart jolted when his phone rang. _"I did it,"_ Bethany breathed into the phone. _"The hardest thing my heart has ever had to do."_

There was truth in her words. Steve had felt the same way. But he had done his best to hide it from the kids, from Bethany. They were all relying on each other to maintain some kind of strength to support each other. "I know," Steve told her softly. "It's not too late to turn back," Steve offered, being as supportive as he could be, but knowing that he needed Bethany during this one.

_"No," _Bethany's voice echoed. _"If I felt like I had a choice, like I could stay with them, I would still be at the farm house. I'm in on this one Steve."_

"Good," he revealed. "We need you. _I _need you. We're about twenty minutes out."

_"I'm about to land. Should be interesting welcoming party. I still have access to CHRIS' mainframe so I've been able to clear our landing without trigger any alarms."_

"Don't go in without me," Steve quickly added, a little more aggressively than he intended to. Taking a moment to calm himself, he repeated the sentence. "Thank you for clearing our landing, but I don't want you going into the Facility alone. Not with our status. There's power in our numbers. The last thing I want is you to end up in a jail cell right now. Well, ever. But right now would particularly be inconvenient."

_"I can take care of myself, Steve,"_ she teased him. He could just image the sly smile on her face.

Steve smiled, a soft chuckle slipping from his lips. It seemed foreign with the current situation, but he couldn't help it, imagining all the instances that Bethany _had_ taken care of herself. Usually by bending and breaking her body in ways that always set the enemy aback. And if it had been five years ago, she probably would have cleared the hall before they arrived even if Steve instructed her not to. Back then, she was the very description, the very definition of a spy. Sure, he was _always _worried about her safety, and she had a habit of not listening to orders back then, but she was in peak physical shape. And while she _looked_ physically fit, she hadn't been on a mission, or really even trained, in _years_. The unspoken truth was they weren't sure how helpful she'd be. But Steve had a feeling that she would surprise everyone. Especially when her limbs started to regrow mid-battle.

"I know you can," Steve reassured her. "But will you listen to me anyways?"

She let out a sigh, but Steve could tell it was one in dramatics. "I mean, I _guess_."

"You're impossible," Steve said lovingly, catching a glimpse of Wanda and Vision for a brief moment.

_"But you love me anyways_," Bethany's voice spoke before she hung up. Slipping his phone back into his suit pocket, Steve watch the two lovers. He felt for them. He _really_ did. He remembered what it was like to be young and in love, and desperate for as much time with the other as possible. He remembered dreading having to pull himself out of a bed where Bethany was sleeping soundly. Hating having to kiss her goodbye before going on a mission. Missing her while sleeping in caves and dodging bullets. And ultimately, fearing never getting to know if they would go anywhere.

Wanda looked up, her eyes meeting with Steve's. He gestured his head for her to come over and she reluctantly agreed. "I'm sorry," she said meekly.

"For what?" Steve asked patiently, crossing his arms. "For being in love? That's not something to apologize for."

"I made a mistake," Wanda stressed.

"You didn't know you were making a mistake," Steve reminded her. "You thought what you were doing was innocent and safe. And if you knew it wasn't, I know you wouldn't have done it."

"You're not angry?" She asked, her face crumpled in confusion.

Steve sighed, reaching a comforting hand out to lay on her shoulder. "Wanda, I've been in your shoes. I made decisions that in the moment, felt innocent enough. Before Bethany and I started going steady, we were walking home from a bar one night, and I lead her down a bad neighbourhood. I didn't know it was bad, but I knew it would take longer to get back to the base if we went that way. I just wanted to spend more time with her."

"What happened?"

"Some thugs wanted to mug us," Steve replied. "I stopped them, I protected her, but I would never intentionally put her through harm's way."

"No, she just clings onto her hand while you're paving the way," Wanda chuckled lightly.

Steve raised an eyebrow in amusement. "The point is, I get it. And if you weren't with him, they may have gotten to the stone. So don't beat yourself up."

Wanda nodded before going back over to Vision. Steve wasn't sure if his words made any real improvement in Wanda's feeling on the matter, but Steve wasn't about to let Wanda take the fall for this one when she did nothing wrong.

* * *

Despite her desire, Bethany followed Steve's instructions and waited for him in the hanger bay. She knew that he was right; in this circumstance, as a world fugitive, they were better in numbers. But in her opinion, it shouldn't matter right now. The world was in danger and the people who could best defend it were either labelled as criminals or up in space. Secretary Ross could bite her ass if he really wanted to stop them from _literally_ saving the world.

"Took your time," Bethany breathed when Steve came out of the quinjet, followed by the team. Bethany noticed Vision was being supported by Sam, clearly severely damaged by the attack that had taken place in Edinburgh.

"Any problems here?" Steve asked, leading the charge towards the conference room.

"None," Bethany replied. "It's been unusually quiet, actually."

She hadn't seen _anyone_ since she had arrived. It was almost like the New Avengers' Facility was abandoned, despite the fact that the world was in crisis and she knew from news reports that Tony had taken the project under his wing. And that was evident based on some of the upgrades within the building.

Walking down a long hall towards the conference room, Bethany felt her anger increase as she saw a holographic Secretary Ross speaking to Rhodey. "Mr. Secretary," Steve spoke curtly when they reached the room.

Ross' holographic image looked displeased, slowly walking towards the group. _"You got some nerve. I'll give you that."_

"You could use some of that right now," Natasha pointed out smugly.

Ross looked over to Steve. _"The world's on fire. And you think, all is forgiven?" _

"I'm not looking for forgiveness. And I'm way past asking for permission. Earth just lost her best defender," Steve added, referring to Tony. "So we're here to fight. And if you wanna stand in our way… we'll fight you, too."

"And the way we see it," Bethany began. "You don't really have another choice.

Ross stared at her for a brief moment before turning to Rhodey. _"Arrest them." _

Rhodey gave a smug nod, replying "all over it" before dismissing the hologram. "That's a court-martial. It's great to see you, Cap."

Steve stepped forward, shaking Rhodey's hand in welcome. "You too, Rhodey."

Bethany immediately threw herself in there for a hug. "Glad to see you on your feet," she told him honestly before Natasha stole a hug for herself.

"Well… You guys really look like crap," Rhodey shared assessing the group. "Must've been a rough couple of years."

Bethany and Steve looked at each other bewildered. Sure, Steve's hair was longer, he was sporting a full beard and he was a little more tanner than usual, but she took great offense, thinking that she had looked like hot shit all this time. Although, she had to admit, she stopped doing her hair or wearing makeup since it seemed like a waste of time when at the farmhouse. "Excuse you, I think we look great for having three kids under the age of four."

"Thre-Three kids?" Rhodey's brow raised. "And what's their excuse?"

"Yeah, well the hotels weren't exactly five star," Sam defended.

"Uh, I think you look great," they heard a familiar voice from across the room. Bethany smiled as Bruce showed himself, slowly making his way across the room in that sheepish way only Bruce Banner could. "Uh… hehe, yeah. I'm back."

"Hi Bruce," Natasha greeted, reminding the _entire _room of the history between the pair.

"Nat," Bruce greeted extremely awkwardly.

"Wow," Bethany whispered, looking up at Steve. "Were we ever this bad?"

"Probably, yeah," Steve nodded.

"Okay," Bethany began, clapping her hands together, breaking the awkwardness. "Let's umm… let's find someplace more comfortable and get a game plan together."

Rhodey nodded, leading the group to another room, this one with wood walls and a sense of warmth. As they all filed in, Bethany stealing a hug from Bruce, Steve was quick to ask questions. And in return, Bruce had questions. So much had happened since they last saw Bruce and it was actually _relevant_ to the situation they were in now—the state of the Avengers. Steve had laid a comforting hand on Bethany's shoulder as he stood behind the chair she was sitting in. They had faced problems like this before. But Tony was always there. This time, he was completely untraceable, somewhere out in space. A _major_ piece of their team was missing.

"So we gotta assume they're coming back, right?" Rhodey began.

"And they can clearly find us," Wanda added, concern laced in her voice.

"We need all hands on deck," Bruce continued. "Where's Clint?"

"After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal," Natasha offered. "It was too tough on their families, they're on house arrest."

"If only that was an option," Steve muttered to himself, knowing that in no possible way would that have been offered to him.

"Who's Scott?"

"Ant-Man," Steve offered.

"There's an Ant-Man _and _a Spider-Man?" Bruce asked.

"And a Black Widow," Bethany pointed out. "Insects are really coming through for us."

"Okay, look," Bruce continued. "Thanos has the biggest army in the universe. And he is not gonna stop until he… he gets… Vision's stone."

"Then we have to protect it," Natasha replied simply.

"No, we have to destroy it," Vision disagreed from his place across the room. "I've been giving a good deal of through to this entity in my head, about its nature. But also, its composition," He turned towards Wanda, addressing only her as he moved forwards. "I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source, something, very similar to its own signature, perhaps… its molecular integrity could fail."

"Yeah, and you with it," Wanda reminded him. "We're not having this conversation."

"Eliminating the stone is the only way to be certain that Thanos can't get it," Vision replied.

"That's too high a price," Wanda disagreed.

Taking her face in his hands, Vision pressed on. "Only you have the power to pay it."

Bethany looked up at Steve, placing her hand over his. Their eyes met with a similar look—Wanda's decision wasn't unlike their own. But hers… hers would be so much more difficult. Vision was trying to sacrifice himself to save the world, much like Steve did. But in this case, Wanda needed to be the force behind it. Neither of them wanted to put the girl in that situation. Slipping from his embrace, Wanda walked to the corner of the room as Vision continued to speak. "Thanos threatens half the Universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him.

"But it should," Steve replied, breaking his eye contact with Bethany. "We don't trade lives, Vision."

"Captain, seventy years ago, you laid down your life to save how many millions of people. Tell me, why is this any different?" Vision challenged.

"Because he realizes now that he could have fucking jumped," Bethany supplied, earning a pointed gaze from her husband. "Don't give me that look, Steve. You know that you didn't consider all your options."

"I didn't… exactly have the _time_," Steve defended himself lightly.

"No, Bethany is right," Bruce interjected, moving forward. "Vision may have options. Your mind is made up of a complex construct of overlays. JARVIS, Ultron, Tony, Bethany, me, the Stone. All of them mixed together. All of them learning from one another."

"You're saying Vision isn't just the Stone?" Wanda eagerly questioned.

"I'm saying that if we take out the Stone, there's still a whole lot of Vision left. Perhaps the best parts."

"Can we do that?" Natasha asked, looking to the two scientists for answers.

"Not me," Bruce shook his head. "Not here."

"We know someone," Bethany quickly spoke up.

"Good," Rhodey announced. "Ross isn't exactly just gonna let you guys have your old rooms back."

"You think she'd be up for it?" Steve asked, looking at his wife.

"Oh, without a doubt," Bethany agreed, standing up. "It'll be like a birthday present for her."

"Well, happy birthday Shuri," Steve said under his breath.


	6. Chapter 6

****A/N: Everyone take a deep breath... the snap is not in this chapter. **

Chapter 6

As everyone was preparing for their departure to Wakanda, Steve took Bethany's hand in his own. "So, I'm going to kiss you now because I don't know when I'll get to kiss you next."

Bethany gave him a small smile, appreciating his sense of romanticism and use of the word 'next' instead of 'again'. She accepted the kiss, holding onto the straps of his suit. "This used to be a lot more fun," she revealed. "Going on missions. Make outs in the quinjet hanger. What happened?"

"We got old," Steve teased her. "We had kids."

"Does this make us boring?"  
"I think it makes us responsible," Steve corrected. "And yeah, maybe a little old. A little out of our league."  
"It's like riding a bicycle," Bethany told him. "How does it feel to be back in the suit?"

"Bizarre," Steve admitted. "I can honestly say, I didn't miss it."

"Really?" Bethany asked, a little surprised.

"Okay, I thought I did," Steve allowed. "But now that I'm in it…"

Steve trailed off, his eye catching something. Bethany turned around to see what was distracting him and felt a surge of guilt as Kiley came into the hanger. "Well, hello to you too," Kiley said sarcastically, walking over to the couple. "I could ask what the hell is going on, but I think I can piece two-and-two together considering I got a notification that my boss is space and there was some kind of alien attack."

"Kiley, I'm sorry-" Bethany began, remembering how she just up and left.

"Hey, I would have done the same thing if I was in your shoes," Kiley shrugged. Bethany elected not to remind Kiley that despite the kids, Kiley had pretty much been in the same shoes because of her relationship with Sam. "Anyways, I thought you might want this."

Kiley held out a deep red suit that Bethany immediately recognized as the last suit that Tony had made her before she announced her retirement. Bethany accepted the suit, smiling softly at it. Pulling it back on would be _weird_ and she caught herself wondering if it would still fit. But she knew that the suit had abilities that her jeggings and leather jacket did not.

"Thank you," Bethany whispered, hugging her softly.

"Alright, let's get the show on the mov- Kiley…" Sam's voice rang through the hanger bay.

"Sam," Kiley said, her voice a little tight.

"You know, I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm kinda in the middle of saving the world," Sam explained, as the group began to board the quinjet.

"You know, you're lucky that's true," was the last thing Bethany heard from Kiley before she took a seat in the aircraft, placing her suit on her lap. Less than a minute later, everyone was on board and ready for take-off, Steve instructing a disgruntled Sam on where to go. He turned away from the front console of the quinjet to look at Bethany for a moment. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it was hard. Nonetheless, she appreciated the gesturing and tried to mimic it. Leaving her babies with Jen had been difficult. _Asking_ Jen to take care of them had been horrible. She felt awful- she had abandoned that life and her friends and now she was rushing back to ask favors of them. But she knew that she was needed where she was.

"So," Rhodey began, sitting next to her. "You said three kids. You were gone two years, did Rogers not get off of you during that time?"

Steve looked back again at those words, frowning slightly. A whisper of a smile graced Bethany's face. "I was pregnant with twins during the Accords."

"Oh-oh, that makes so much sense," Rhodey realized, remembering the days during the Accords.

"Twins?" Bruce asked, sitting in front of the two.

"Yeah," Bethany nodded, taking out her phone from her pocket, the suit Kiley gave her still folded on her lap. "Greta and Rosie."

"Is that Jamie? Last time I saw him, he was a baby," Bruce replied, taking Bethany's phone to get a better look of the picture she pulled up.

"He had just said his first word last time you saw him," Bethany reminded Bruce. "And now I have three kids who are talking and walking and making my house a mess."

"And you're here?" Bruce asked, handing her back the phone.

"And I'm here," Bethany confirmed. "Earth needs all the help it can get. And saving Earth means saving my kids."

Conversation drifted away from Bethany and towards Bruce's adventures away from the group. It was the perfect distraction and soon they were landing Wakanda. Bethany and Steve, familiar with the country, led the group towards the royal family, Bethany's suit gripped tightly in her hand.

"Seems like I'm always thanking you for something," Steve greeted T'Challa with a hand shake.

Bethany's attention was brought to Bruce as he cleared his throat and fell into an awkward bow.

"Uh, we don't do that here," T'Challa corrected Banner quickly before turning to the matter at hand. "So, how big of an assault can we expect?"

The group fell into step with T'Challa, who was leading them to an administrative building. "Uh, sir, sir, I think you can expect quite a big assault," Banner offered concerned.

"How we looking?" Natasha asked, coolly.

"You will have my Kingsguard, the Border Tribe, the Dora Milaje and…" he trailed off pointing to a familiar face.

"A semi-stable, one-hundred year old man," Bucky finished with a smile, bringing Steve in for a hug.

"Well, what else is new?" Bethany teased, collecting her own hug from the man when the two friends pulled apart.

"How you been, Buck?" Steve asked over the top of Bethany's head.

"Uh, not bad, for the end of the world," Bucky replied casually.

"You look good," Bethany told the man, wishing that this reunion could be on better terms.

"You always look good," Bucky returned with a smirk.

"Okay, enough," Steve interrupted, knowing full well that this could quickly spiral into a long conversation with the sole purpose of teasing Steve.

"The kids aren't here, right?"

"I'm not an idiot," Bethany defended herself to Bucky as the group continued towards the building. "If Thanos' army is following Vision here, then they are safe in New York."

"Is anyone _really_ ever safe in New York?" Natasha asked.

"Don't," Steve warned Natasha, not wanting Bethany to worry even more than she was.

* * *

Steve was no stranger to the inside of Shuri's lab. It felt like it was only yesterday that he was waiting for Bethany to wake up from brain surgery, nervous to see if she would still be the same. But now, the stakes were much higher. He felt lucky that in that moment, Bethany was standing next to him. Yes, her presence might that the situation was serious, but he couldn't deny how calming it was every time she would cast a soft look at him, or reach out just to quickly touch him.

Sam, Bucky and Rhodey were outside the building, keeping watch for anything and everything that would immediately fast forward their plans. Saving Vision and destroying the stone was the number one priority. But if Thanos and his army came before they could succeed in doing that, they knew that the battle would be next-level.

Steve thought about the Battle of New York and how they legitimately _almost lost_. It took SHIELD's hasty decision to bomb the entire city and Tony's heroic decision to redirect the nuke to end the battle. Today, they didn't have SHIELD. They didn't have Tony. Yes, they had Wakanda. Yes, they had Wanda. Yes, they had so many more people now than they did then, but Thanos had time to build up his army. The Avengers had been ripped into shreds, and they couldn't even tape up what was left for this battle.

Steve's eye caught Bethany switching the hold of her suit from her left hand to her right. She still hadn't put the thing on. Not that she had much time or privacy to do so, but Steve could sense her hesitance—and he understood. Pulling his own suit on was a difficult decision. For months, he had secretly gone into the closet when Bethany had been sleeping to look at the damned thing. It was war-torn from its last battle. Most of the colour was gone, and it ripped up pretty bad. He knew he wasn't winning any beauty contests today. But every time he looked at the suit, careful to make sure he didn't wake his sleeping wife and cause her any anxiety, he questioned what would happen when the day came to pull it back on.

And the day had come. And nothing extraordinary happened in the moment. The seeds of curiosity through those months, the wondering of whether he wouldn't want to take it off, or if he would feel a surge of responsibility and power come back, all of it was nothing but a whisper. He hadn't felt any different. He pulled that suit on terrified about what was going to happen. And when it was on, he was still terrified. He didn't feel powerful. He didn't feel like it was his responsibility to march into battle. All that continuously dragged him back into the action before was gone. He didn't want to wear the suit. He just wanted to take it off, return to the farm house with his family and watch Disney movies all day. It was a startling realization, one that he didn't really have time to process. But he didn't _want_ to be Captain America anymore. But he _had_ to be.

Steve could only imagine that Bethany was feeling the same way. It had been _years_ since she last wore the suit. What would happen when she pulled it back on? Would she feel all that Steve thought he would? A big part of him knew that she wouldn't. That she too would put the suit on and want it off, but ultimately know that it wasn't an option right now. She didn't _want_ to be a warrior in this battle. She _had_ to be.

"The structure is polymorphic," Shuri announced, her kimoyo beads having analyzed Vision's body on the examination table.

"Right, we had to attach each neuron non-sequentially," Banner explained, the words going right over Steve's head. He had learned to ignore all the scientific mumbo-jumbo over the years and let the brains do all the heavy thinking while he did the heavy lifting.

"Why didn't you just reprogram the synapses to work collectively?" Shuri asked lightly, causing Vision to look at Bruce as if to ask the very same thing.

Bruce was silent for a moment, looking over to Bethany with uncertainity. "Because… we didn't think of it."

"I'm sure you did your best," Shuri responded with a smile, confirming Steve's initial thought. Shuri was the right person for this job. The question was whether or not she could do this before Thanos arrived.

"Hey, I was out of the room for most of it," Bethany quickly defended herself.

"Can you do it?" Wanda asked nervously, knowing that if Shuri couldn't, she would have to make the hardest decision she'd ever have to make.

"Yes," Shuri quickly confirmed. "But there are more than two trillion neurons here. One misalignment could cause a cascade of circuit failures." Turning to her brother, she added "it will take time, brother."

"How long?" Steve asked, getting antsy with every ticking second.

"As long as you can give me," Was all Shuri could provide, and that had to be enough for both of them.

A chime from Okoye's kimoyo beads caught the attention of the room. She projected the information for the group to see. "Something's entered the atmosphere."

_"Hey Cap," _Sam's voice came through the comms. _"We got a situation here._"

T'Challa quickly told his guard to activate the defense shield, but only a moment later did Rhodey's voice ring through: _"Yeah, don't start celebrating yet, guys. We got more incoming outside the dome."  
_"Time to go to work," Bethany announced before everyone caught a glimpse in their peripheral view. From the distance, they could see the shock waves from the incoming ships decimate the trees around them, curling up against the dome with dust. Steve looked over at T'Challa. Bringing the battle here was their best chance at winning, but it was also going to lead to a lot of repercussion for Wakanda. Again, Steve thought about the Battle of New York and what the aftermath of that battle looked like.

"It's too late," Vision called, struggling to get off the examination table. "We need to destroy the stone now."  
"Vision," Natasha began firmly. "Get your ass back on the table."

"We will hold them off," T'Challa confirmed before he and Okoye headed for the door.

"Wanda," Steve looked at the frightened girl. "As soon as the stone's out of his head… you blow it to hell."

"I will," Wanda confirmed.

"Language Captain," Steve heard Bethany mumble as she walked past him, heading to catch up with Natasha, no doubt to change into her suit finally.

"Evacuate the city. Engage all defenses," T'Challa commanded before pointing to Steve. "And get this man a shield."

* * *

Steve looked at the new shields that T'Challa had given him. They were simple, but Steve could already tell they would be effective. And above all, they were vibranium. Steve really couldn't complain much, especially as he was told all the benefits and capabilities they carried. They were, in many ways, a step up from his old shield. But picking them up had been very similar to that day when Howard Stark had shown Steve a line of shields, all outfitted with the latest technology. Steve had chosen his shield because of its simplicity. And it had never failed him. But he had dropped the shield at Tony's feet to make a statement and this was really the only time he regretted doing so.

Steve and Bucky met up, ready to board a hovercraft to the battlefield. "I'm sorry to drag you into this one," Steve admitted.

Bucky chuckled. "You know you say that, but then you always drag me into another one."

Steve let a small smile grace his face. "You're right. Although, this is a little bit more of a commitment than recusing me in movie theatre alleys."

"At least this one isn't your fault," Bucky pointed out. "If anything, you were more of a troublemaker then. Now, people make trouble and you just fix it for them. Including me."

"Does that mean we've switched spots?" Steve joked. "You're the mess and I'm the rescuer?"  
"Well, wasn't that already obvious?" Bucky laughed before shaking his head with a goofy smile on his face. "Damn, I got to get me one of those one day."

Steve frowned before turning to meet Bucky's gaze. Steve quickly threw a light punch at his friend as his eye met Bethany, fully suited. Her blonde hair was tied back into a braid, and despite her face being clean from makeup, her beauty was still stunning. Her suit fit like a glove. In fact, it was almost _too _tight. But then again, all of their suits had been like that back when it was designed. She looked a little out of place next to Natasha's utility suit.

"Say nothing," Bethany quickly warned both men as they all climbed onto the hovercraft. It was only when the hovercraft began to move towards the battlefield, the wind loud against their ears did Bethany lean close to Steve and whisper "I have an epic wedgie right now".

"How we looking Bruce?" Natasha asked to the scientist who was currently donning the Hulkbuster armor. Apparently, Bruce had a handle on the Hulk now. Or rather, the Hulk had a handle on the Hulk. And evidentially, the Hulk did _not_ want to come to the battle. Bruce, however, was ready to be apart while actually _conscious._

_"Yeah, I think I'm getting the hang of it," _Bruce announced before he came flying forward, having discovered a new feature on the suit._ "Wow! Wow! This is amazing, man. It's like being the Hulk without actually-" _Bruce's words were cut off as he tripped over a rock, the suit falling flat into the dirt.

Bethany was unable to keep her laughter to herself as the hovercarrier flew past the gentle giant. "Fuck, that's embarrassing," she chuckled.

_"I'm okay, I'm okay,"_ Bruce quickly assured the group.

_"I got two heat signatures breaking through the tree line," _Rhodey's voice rang through the comms as the hovercrafts came to a halt, the remaining Avengers getting off and standing a distance from the boarder of the forcefield. From here, they could see just how foreign their enemies were. Just like New York, everything about them was different. They ships, their weapons, their appearance. And Steve had a feeling that just like New York, they couldn't underestimate what was about to happen.

* * *

"Stay here," Steve told Bethany softly as he, Natasha and T'Challa moved to meet with the leaders of the army. Bethany wasn't too fond of having to stay behind, but she wasn't going to fool herself—her wedgie was only going to make her walk weird and she didn't need all of Wakanda staring at her ass in the suit.

"How's it feel?" Bucky asked her quietly.

"What?" Bethany replied, taking a moment to try and remember if she had said that wedgie comment to Steve too loud. She knew that in a moment like this, it shouldn't matter. And it definitely wouldn't once the battle began. But in the still moments before the battle, personal comfort was _always_ on the mind.

"Being on a battlefield," Bucky elaborated.

"Oh… weird," Bethany voiced. Everything about the day had been weird. Putting on the suit had required strength that Bethany didn't know was required. Not just mental, emotional strength, but actually _physical_ strength too. The material was _tight_, and she was aware that it had been like that before, but in that moment, trying to pull the damned thing over her thighs, she had to remind herself that she was the mom of three and that it was totally normal that clothes that were made for her years ago wouldn't fit the same now.

The physical strength, and the wedgie, were keeping her mind off the mental and emotional strength it took. In fact, Bethany knew she hadn't processed everything yet. This had to be a dream, right? One that she would wake up from and her kids would be poking at her nose or pulling her hair lightly. This couldn't be her reality, or _the _reality, could it?

"It's not sinking in," Bethany concluded quickly. "You?"  
"Familiar," Bucky said decidedly, but his voice not giving any indication whether that was a positive or negative thing.

"Good familiar?" Bethany pressed on.

"I haven't decided yet," Bucky admitted. "I guess it depends on what happens."

"What happens is we win," Bethany explained firmly. "There's no other option."

"I'm surprised you're here," Bucky continued.

"I'm not," Bethany replied. "Every time Steve and I talked about retirement, something like this was always on the table."

"Can you ever really retire then?" Bucky asked.

"No, I guess not," Bethany whispered as Steve, Natasha and T'Challa joined the ranks.

"They surrender?" Bucky asked sardonically.

"Not exactly," Steve replied.

Bethany hadn't expected them to. It didn't matter how persuasive they were. From what Bethany could tell, this wasn't some short-term plan. No. Thanos would have been planning this for _years_. And despite the impressive force that they had been able to assemble, it was an unspoken fact that they were missing two key players in their lineup; Tony and Thor. Both of them lost in space, having already gone head-to-head with Thanos. This wasn't a battle that Thanos and his cronies were likely to give up because Steve said 'pretty please'.

As the Wakandans began their war cry, Steve slipped his hand into Bethany's, giving it a tight squeeze before letting go. Bethany looked at him for a moment, soaking up his strength. It didn't matter if he didn't feel strong and prepared, he looked it, and that helped to calm her own nerves. Taking in a deep breath, Bethany eyed the hoards of creatures emerging from the forest beyond the forcefield.

"What the hell," Bucky said flatly.

"You've missed a lot," Bethany replied in the same tone, not even daring to focus on the numbers.

"Looks like we pissed her off," Natasha stated.

"Yeah, well welcome to the club," Bethany voiced, reaching into her boot for the long knife stored inside. But then something happened that Bethany hadn't been anticipating. Opposed to circling the forcefields, the creatures pressed themselves against it, forcing their way through the shield despite the ramifications.

"They're killing themselves," Okoye said horrified.

In that moment, Bethany knew that these creatures were just like the ones from New York. Pain wouldn't deter them. Nothing but a control system, a master, a commander, could do anything to stop them. Clenching her jaw, she watched as some squeezed through the forcefield, their bodies still intact, despite horrible burn marks. Around her, the Border Tribe fell to their knees, raising their shields as the Kingsguard raised their spears, ready to attack. T'Challa let out a single word, blasts emerging from the spears towards the painless creatures.

As Bethany watched them race forward, her mind quickly flashed to herself as an agent of SHIELD. Had she been like these creatures? Blindly following orders, letting her body go through hell, and continue to push forward? Because if that was all true, then wasn't she, and if not now, than at least then, a monster too?

Bethany didn't have time to ponder this thought as they raced closer, Bucky raising his M-249 to aim at the incoming beasts, Bruce utilizing the repulsors as Sam came swooping in.

_"You see the teeth on those things?"_ Sam asked the group, narrowly missing being lunch.

_"Alright, back up Sam," _Rhodey instructed. _"You're gonna get your wings singed."_

Bethany watched as Rhodey flew along the forcefield's edge where the heaviest concertation of creatures rested, dropping bombs from his suit, lighting the area up in a specular show of orange and red. The creatures reacted, moving away from the fire and along the forcefield.

"They're circling," Bethany quickly noticed.

_"Cap, if these thing circle the perimeter and get in behind us, there's nothing between them and Vision,_" Bruce reminded them.

"Then we better keep 'em in front of us," Steve said darkly. His tone sent a chill down Bethany's spine. If the seriousness of the situation hadn't already struck her, his voice would have. Bethany had never heard him so grim.

"How do we do that?" Okoye asked, looking to her King for answers.

"We open the barrier," T'Challa explained unwillingly before putting a hand to his comm. "On my signal, open North-West Section Seventeen."

_"Requesting confirmation, my King_," a nervous voice sounded through the comms. _"You said open the barrier?"_

"On my signal," T'Challa confirmed.

Bethany took this last opportunity to look up at Steve to soak in any last strength she could. The battle hadn't even begun and already he looked rough. Steve looked down at her and their eye locked. He didn't say it, but it was almost like she could _tell_ he wanted to tell her that he loved her.

"Don't," Bethany whispered firmly. "We get through this, together. Like always."

Steve gave a single nod. It didn't matter if the odds were against them. Bethany refused to acknowledge that she could walk out of this without him. That he could walk out of this without her. That they could walk out of this without their kids, or their kids without their parents. "Together," Steve replied before readying one of his new vibranium shields.

In a normal circumstance, Bethany would have made a comment on the shield, on how it was too extravagant for him and that nothing could replace the original. But there was no room, nor humour in the air to begin such a conversation. T'Challa began to shout commands. The shield that the Boarder Tribe previously provided disappeared in a swift movement, as their King walked in front of them before yelling "WAKANDA FOREVER!"

* * *

****A/N: Y'all know what comes next... **

**In regards to _Endgame_... the 5 year gap. I have a lot of ideas. I'm thinking of one chapter per year, but is that too much? Leave your input please!**

**Athzi Halen: I'm happy to hear that you're enjoying them!**

**Cleo9427: Aw, that makes me so happy to hear! I've worked really hard on trying to blend her in seamlessly into the story and show a good relationship between them, even though it DEFINITELY wasn't a healthy relationship at the beginning. I think they've come a long way when you re-read. I have a hard time reading other Fanfiction now because in my mind, if I have time to read, I have time to write, and I never have time to write haha. Hence why the updates have been scattered. **

**Guest: I'm planning on having a TheoxRogersChildren section in the next chapter!**

**zikashigaku: I've always got the feeling that Bethany would hate older men of authority, and I've definitely worked to keep that up!**

**anonymouscsifan: When the movie came out, I briefly considered her staying with the kids. While I had the ideas, ultimately I decided that if it really was the end of the world, she would come to the realization that the only way she can save the kids is by being away from them. A heartbreaking thought really. **


	7. Chapter 7

****A/N: I mean, I don't think I have an excuse not to update right now…**

**I hope everyone is healthy, keeping themselves and their families safe. If I could do an update that, you know, WASN'T A TOTAL BUMMER right now, I would. But… that's not really in the card for a while with this story, so I'm sorry about that.**

**Something I'm _considering_ doing once this story is over is doing a _What If_ story where I write AUs for this story in the same way that the Disney Plus show will do. I have some ideas of what to write already, some of them being just really short little pieces, some being a little longer. Let me know if you have any ideas! Like I said, I'm FINISHING this story first, but I've reached the point where I can no longer plan out their future (I know what's going to happen, I just need to write it), so it would be nice to start planning out some new things in my head. **

* * *

Chapter 7

Bethany ran forward, pushing her legs against the ground with as much force as she had. Steve and T'Challa had all but literally flown across the battle field, their legs carrying them much farther than anyone else. To Bethany's surprise, Bucky didn't press forward with them, but stayed close to her, keeping up with her speed. And then, like a soaring missile, one of the monsters lunged towards her, her body thrown and pinned back under it's weight. Wasting no time, ignoring any pain she should have been feeling, Bethany pulled her gun from its holster and with a moment of struggle, was able to position the gun right under the black and yellow creature's head. With a small jolt, it's body went limp on her.

With what skin was visible, Bethany could feel that these monsters were leathery and the one on top of her seemed to have six legs. Looking to her side, she saw a group of Wakanda soldiers fighting against the razor teeth beasts. Without even attempting to get out from under the dead creature on top of her, she raised her gun to the creature and with precision she forgot she had, hit it in one go. She couldn't fight the cocky smile on her face as she hit a second one, a third one, a fourth, all while under the creature.

"Planning on spending the whole battle under there?" Bucky asked her, his eyes never leaving his targets while he spoke to her.

"Hey, if it works," She replied, but began to pull herself out from under the dead body. She caught a glimpse of her torso, covered in thick, blue liquid—blood—before slipping a second gun into her left hand.

Throwing herself into battle, ducking, jumping, flipping and shooting, Bethany felt herself go completely numb—it was as if someone else was in control of her body, allowing her to move through the motions without giving it much thought. At one point, she had a knife in her hand. Another, a spear. She didn't remember how she got these weapons, but it didn't matter. She could actively hear the team talking; T'Challa urging Shuri to hurry up, Bruce having a moment of panic as the creatures crawled on top of the fallen Hulkbuster.

Before she could even think about moving into action to help the fallen machine, a huge beam blinded her, and when it fell Bethany blinked, trying to make sense of what was in front of her. "HAHA!" She could hear Banner's voice scream. "You guys are so screwed now!"

Narrowing her eyes, Bethany shook her head. She could see Thor, although he was barely recognizable. But beside him… "Is that… is that a tree?" She asked to no one in particular, but Bucky's voice responded with "is that a raccoon?"

"BRING ME THANOS!" Thor shouted before surging forward in attack, followed by his unlikely companions.

"Head's up," Bucky told her as a black and yellow blur came at her. Bethany just raised her hand with the knife and sunk it deep into the skull. "Stay close."

"I can take care of myself," She reminded him, pulling the knife out and slipping it into her boot before raising her gun at an on-coming target.

"I know you can, I want you to watch _my_ back," He teased her, aiming his gun again.

Bethany chuckled, shaking her head as she continued to throw herself at everything around her, ignoring his request. She could feel a slight burning sensation across her arms as she activated the heat sensors in her suit. Moving towards a group of trapped Wakandans, she picked up a discarded spear and threw herself into the creature's bodies. The intense heat from her suit didn't stop them, but stunned them enough for a moment that she was able to swiftly kill one with the spear and two more with her gun. It was enough for the soldiers to fight off the rest. Bethany kept pushing forward, once again losing herself. She was _barely_ aware that she had suffered some kind of a blow to her head, and her limping was the only reason why she knew she hurt her leg at some point. But with every step, she could feel herself healing, pushing herself father into the battle.

Suddenly, she founded herself with her back pressed up against Steve's. "Long time, no see," she told him, aiming her gun at an oncoming monster.

"It's nice to see you in one piece," Steve replied cheekily, referring to their old SHIELD days and Bethany's habit of losing limbs while on a mission, sacrificing a body part for the end of the mission. It didn't matter that he knew she'd be fine in 24 hours, it always bothered him.

"Don't speak so soon," She muttered, knowing that the battle was far from over. Looking to her right, she could see Thor using what seemed to be an axe to cut down the oncoming hoards.

"New haircut?" Steve asked Thor, panting.

"Noticed you've copied my beard," Thor replied easily, touching his own facial hair. Exhaustedly gesturing to his face, Steve nodded, trying to catch his breath. "By the way, this is a friend of mine, Tree."

Bethany and Steve both turned to look at the living tree skewering their enemies with his arms, raising them into the air. "I am Groot!"

"I-I am Steve Rogers," Steve replied, raising a hand to his chest before taking a deep breath and throwing his arm out to defend Bethany from an attack.

"Bethany," she greeted out, confusion still on her face. She had spent decades with SHIELD. Years with the Avengers. And apparently the Universe still had more to shock her with. "This day keeps getting weirder and weirder," she mumbled to herself.

* * *

As much as he wanted to stay close to Bethany, with one quick glance at her, he knew that she could take care of herself; she was covered in more blue blood than red. His lung were burning and he was momentarily reminded of when he had asthma. He was putting _everything_ he had into this. _Everyone was_. But his body was out of practice. Yes, he had the stamina. He had the strength. He had the power. But being able to control his breathing, his pacing, everything that he learnt in the army, during his SHIELD days, were rusty. But every time he felt like he was about to fall, he would remember why they were there—what failing meant. And that it just wasn't an option.

_"Guys, we got a Vision situation here,_" Sam's voice spoke through the comm.

"Somebody get to Vision!" Steve ordered, throwing his arm, protected by his new shield armguards at one of the monsters.

_"I got him!" _Bruce called out as another monster pounced at Steve. Using the tip of the shield, Steve used all his force to stab it's side.

_"On my way," _Wanda also replied, but Steve barely heard it as he struggled under the injured beast on top of him. Then suddenly, it fell still. Steve looked around the beast's head, seeing Bethany standing there with her gun pointed to the beast's head. "No time to take a nap, Rogers," she teased him, aiming her gun for one of the beasts heading for them.

Steve felt a smirk pull at his lips, kicking the corpse off of him. "I think I'm getting old," he teased her, trying to control his laboured breathing before tossing accepting a spear she was handed to him and throwing it across the field, hitting a target.

The two of them began to work together, sharing their strengths and weaknesses to kill anything that came remotely close to them. Steve had to admit that they were working better together than apart. It was only when he turned his head for a moment that Bethany found herself pinned under two angry bodies.

_"Guys!" _Bruce urgently reported. _"Vision needs backup _now!"

Steve looked at Bethany, trapped under the bodies. "GO NOW," she told him firmly. Maybe once upon a time, he would have hesitated. Maybe he would have been cocky enough to attempt to save her _and_ Vision. But now, he knew that there was no choice. Taking in a deep breath, he pushed himself forward in the general direction he knew where Vision was.

The fields of Wakanda, a mess of losses on both sides, blurred around him as he ran as fast as his legs would allow him. It was on these very fields that he had played with his son, where Bethany had gone into labour with the twins. It was here that they had found safety and serenity. But now, there was absolute carnage and chaos. Through the trees, Steve could see Vision, lying on the ground, a grim looking _thing_ towering over him. Steve wasted no time tackling him at full speed.

"Get outta here!" He yelled as Vision, bring himself to stand, exchanging hard blows with Vision's attacker. "GO!" He said again, seeing that Vision had yet to move. Steve kept pushing himself forward, throwing punches, ducking, taking hits before the attacker took a hold of Steve's neck and threw him over a fallen tree. Steve didn't have a moment to recover before he was towered over, his neck once again being tightly held. Steve wrapped his hands around the attacker's, trying to tear the hand off his neck, but struggling. It had been _decades_ since he felt _this_ determined to win but _this_ weak. Unable to get a good breath, Steve clenched his eyes, hoping to build up the strength he needed.

With his eyes closed, he could see his kids. He could see _why_ it was so important to not fail. And with each passing millisecond, pinned down, he felt like he was failing them. Then suddenly, the hands loosened and Steve coughed as his airway cleared. Filling his lungs with air, he opened his eyes to see Vision holding a spectre high, the attacker pierced to its tip.

Steve took a moment, his body exhausted, pulling himself up just in time to catch a falling Vision. "I thought I told you to go," Steve said, helping Vision to a stand.

"We don't trade lives, Captain," Vision replied, echoing what Steve had said earlier.

"No, but yours is the one that really matters right now," Steve mumbled, helping him to the edge of the clearing.

"I don't think your kids would feel that way," Vision reminded Steve as he helped Vision into a sitting position. Moving back slightly, he allowed Wanda to land close to Vision.

"Are you okay?" She asked him. "What? What is it?"

"He's here," Vision told them, the wind around them picking up. Steve looked around, his surroundings, once peaceful, now… _strange_. Everything in the air felt _strange_. He could feel the hair on the back of his neck pick up. Looking back at the edge of the clearing, he could see Bethany walking towards him, covered in more of her own blood than when he left her, followed by Natasha, Sam, T'Challa and Okoye.

"Everyone, on my position," Steve began. "We have incoming."

"What the hell?" Natasha mumbled, looking around her at the odd atmosphere.

Then, in the distance, where the Hulkbuster suit had come out of the trees, they could see a black-blue dust cloud appear, revealing a tall, monster of a being.

"_Cap, that's him,_" Bruce confirmed what they all knew. Before them stood the mastermind behind it all, Thanos. And only a few feet away sat Vision, unable to defend himself, defend the stone Thanos' coveted.

"Eyes up, stay sharp," Steve instructed the group, casting a quick look at his wife. Her own eyes were glued to Thanos, her jaw clenched. He saw no fear in her, only anger.

The Hulkbuster was the first to attack Thanos, but a swirl of purple cast around him, the Hulkbuster _literally _flew through Thanos and into a large rock wall of a cliff, trapping Bruce and the special Iron Man suit in its place.

Steve then lunged forward but was similarly met with the purple swirl. Despite Steve urging his body to move forward, he felt himself spin through the air backwards and into the dirt. For a moment, Steve was unable to move. He felt like he was dreaming, like he was watching everything happening from the outside looking in. He watched, unable to help as the wings of the Falcon suit turned from metal to rubber, as the War Machine suit was crumbled under a quick motion of Thanos' hand, as Bucky and Okoye were tossed away with ease, as Natasha found herself trapped in the Earth.

As Bethany pushed forward towards Thanos, Steve felt the control of his limbs return, but before he could reach them, a red mist surrounded Bethany and she fell to the floor as if she no longer had the strength. Steve slid under one of Thanos' oncoming punches, swinging his arm into his stomach and chin before immediately taking a hold of Thanos' hand. _With a snap_, Steve told himself, knowing that he needed to find every inch of power within him to keep Thanos' thumb and middle finger from meeting in a snap that would change the universe forever. Clenching his teeth together, Steve struggled as Thanos' strength seemed to easily double his own. He looked almost unbothered by Steve's efforts before he felt a hard punch to his head before darkness.

* * *

When Theo had come home from feeding the neighbors' dog, he hadn't been expecting to see his mom with not one, but _three_ crying kids in her midst. For a brief moment, he took a step back, truly believing that he had stepped into the wrong apartment. But it _was_ his apartment. And it _was_ his mom trying to hush the kids. It was only when a soft brush against his leg caught his attention did he make sense of what was happening. Reaching down to pick up Steve and Bethany's fat calico cat, Molly, Theo closed the door to the apartment.

"Mom?" Theo called out, trying to have his voice heard over the crying.

"Oh, thank god," his mom breathed. "Bethany dropped the kids off so she could go save the day."

The ten year old stood there for a moment, the cat licking his face, as he looked at the kids. Once upon a time, Steve and Bethany had been the closest thing to family he had. They had taken him in when both of his parents didn't want him. They had fed, clothed, and loved him like they would their own kids. And with this in mind, he knew that if Bethany and Steve had left their kids in a small New York apartment, it was because they were _really_ needed. Especially after everything with the Accords.

Theo wasn't really old enough to understand everything. But his mom had told him that the government made a law that Steve didn't agree with, and because of this, they had to go into hiding. That she wasn't sure if they would see the family again. But the last time he had seen the Rogers family, it had just been Bethany, Steve and a baby Jamie. Now, Jamie had grown, and had two baby sisters.

It had taken hours between the two of them to comfort the kids. Despite still being young, Theo told his mom that he would watch Jamie so that she could take care of the babies. Bringing the young boy into his room, he showed him his toys and comic books, trying to cheer him up as much as possible. But Theo _knew_ what it was like to look around and not see your parents. To be in a strange place. The difference was that Theo had _known _Steve and Bethany. Jamie probably didn't remember them at all—he had only been a baby when they were last together.

But at some point, Jamie had stopped crying. And at some point, the baby girls fell asleep, probably exhausted from their cries. "Here," Theo said, reaching into his closet for a Captain America stuffed toy he had and handing it to Jamie. "I know you miss them, but they'll come back. They always do."

Jamie's fingers clung onto the toy as he dug his wet and snotty face into the toy's head for comfort. Theo knew it wasn't a lot, but it was all he could offer the boy in the moment. Well, almost. Grabbing the boy by his sides, Theo brought the boy into his arms. In a weird way, he was kindof like a big brother to Jamie. He had been there when Jamie was just a baby, and he had loved him how he imagined a brother would love a sibling. They even sort of looked alike—they both had blond hair and blue eyes.

Theo held Jamie tightly while the boy finally fell asleep, but didn't let go as he decided to close his eyes, resting his back and head against his wall as he let sleep crawl into his body. On the verge of falling asleep, believing himself to already be dreaming, he felt an odd feeling in his arms before something hit his lap. His eye jolted open, looking down at his empty arms, the Captain America toy in his lap. He frowned for a moment. "Jamie?" He called out, looking around his room to see if the boy had hid while Theo slept.

"Jamie?" He called again, opening the door to the hall. His frown grew deeper as he realized that the living room was oddly quiet. "Mom?" He said, only seeing Molly sleeping on the couch. Looking around the apartment, including the bathroom and his mom's room, Theo crossed his arms, confused. _Where would she take them without telling me?_ He thought to himself, moving to the living room again. Plopping next to Molly on the couch, he found himself wondering where they had disappeared to before turning on Netflix.

* * *

Bethany continued to try and move her body, but every little attempt sent a surge of pain through her. Looking down at her hand, it was _fine _but moving it sent her entire body into a fit of pain. It was as if every injury she had ever healed from had come back all at once, keeping her still on the ground, a tear running down her face as she suffered both physical and emotional distraught. Thanos was right _there_, about to snap his fingers, about to change their world forever. She watched, weakly, as Thor lunged towards him, his axe dug deep into Thanos' shoulder, watched as they exchanged words and watched as he lifted his gold-plated hand and snapped his fingers.

Bethany clenched her eyes together as pain ravaged her body until it came to a stop. Panting, tears rolling down her face, she looked up. Thanos was gone. Thor stood, looking absolutely crushed. There was a moment of silence before reality hit her.

"St-Steve," she called out, pulling her weak body off the floor, the echo of pain still present, but no longer attacking her. "Steve!" She called out again, her heart in her throat, unable to catch her breath as panic started to replace the pain.

"Beth," She heard his voice, coming into the clearing, holding his left side. Letting out a sob, she ran to him, holding him close. "Where'd he go? Thor… where'd he go?"

Bethany's panic continued to build when she heard Bucky call out for his friend. They turned, watching Bucky suddenly collapse, his corpse turning into ash. Bethany's heartbeat continued to race to the point where she felt bile rise in her mouth. Breaking from Steve, she watched as other bodies around them turned to dust. _No_, Bethany thought, her body moving forward on its own. _No_, she continued, her legs starting in a run. _No,_ she pleaded to herself, racing past the battlefield where people continue to collapse into nothing. _No_.

She kept on going forward, only vaguely aware that there was someone running alongside of her. _Steve_, she thought to herself, clinging onto the hard fact that _he_ was there. That he wasn't disintegrating. That he was whole and present. That he was beside her, running at her speed.

It wasn't until they had pushed their way through the city in panic, towards the hanger bay and onto the quinjet did they look at each other. It was a quick look, one of panic, of pain, of confusion, of heartbreak. Of _hope_. Without checking in on the team, without checking in on anyone, they started up the quinjet and made their way to New York.

"Fifty percent," Bethany whispered.

"Beth," Steve replied, a quiet warning.

"Fifty percent, Steve," She repeated, tears building in her eyes again, her lungs struggling to get a breath in. "We're a family of five. And we're he-"

"Stop," Steve interrupted her firmly, his eyes on the sky. Trembling, Bethany looked at her husband. She didn't need to say it out loud. His eyes, his rigid body, his breathing said it all. Steve _knew_; if they were a family of five, and fifty percent of the population was disappearing into thin air, they would be lucky if _one_ of the kids were still in Jen's apartment when they arrived in New York.

And were heartbroken when they arrived and realized _none _of them were. In a blink of an eye, with a snap of a madman's fingers, they lost all three of their kids. Steve's fist had been thrown into the wall. Bethany had crumbled to the ground, heartbreak crushing her spirit with every sob. And Theo stood there, coming to the realization that their little boy had disappeared while in his arms.

* * *

****A/N: Kay, please re-read chapter 1 before you at me with Jamie's disappearance, I NEVER SAY IT WAS JAMIE IN CHAPTER 1 JUST A BLOND HAIR BOY.**

**My goal is to have another chapter up by Saturday.**

**If you're looking to kill a LOT of time, you should re-read the stories… trust me, it'll take awhile. And like I said, I want to start a _What If_ when this is done, so you may think of some good ideas!**


	8. Chapter 8

****A/N: I considered keeping one of the kids after the snap, but the idea of having to deal with the weird ages after the blip really stressed me out. I didn't like the idea of Jamie being SO MUCH OLDER than the twins, and it felt wrong to take away one of the twins and not the other? And then it also felt weird if the twins were older than Jamie, so I just decided this was the easiest on my brain, and gave me a lot of freedom over the 5 year gap. **

Chapter 8

She felt… odd. Almost like she was in a dream. Bethany kept dissociating from reality, lost in a trance whenever her thoughts would narrow in on the knowledge that her child had just ceased to exist. She had no memory of when she stopped crying. No recollection of them leaving Jen's apartment and travelling to the New Avengers Facility. When she came to her senses, she was standing in a conference room, surrounded by what was left of the team and Kiley. She looked at Steve, whispering to him "where's Theo? Where's Molly?"

"They're… they're in the common rooms," Steve whispered back, confused since Bethany _had_ been there when they dropped the boy and cat off.

"We found this," Natasha spoke out, not having heard the exchange. "When we went to check on Fury and Hill in Atlanta. Do you know what it is?"

Bethany accepted the object that Natasha was handing out. She frowned, turning it over. "A pager?" She asked. It _looked_ like a pager, but there had been significant modifications and the screen was sending some kind of tri-coloured signal out.

"That much we figured out," Bruce responded. "And we're only assuming it's Fury's. It was left by his car. Almost like he sent the signal out before…"

"It's Fury's," Bethany confirmed. "SHIELD used these models in the mid-90s. Believe it or not, but these used to be top tier. But there's been adjustments to this one. I'm not entirely sure what it is, or who it could be signalling. We could take a look at old SHIELD files, but if Fury has kept this quiet as long as he has, I'm not sure anything would still exist. What I _do_ know is that while pager batteries can last a while, if it's continually send this signal, it's life will shorten and the signal will be cut."

"I can work around bypassing the signal," Bruce offered, Bethany allowing him to take the device from her.

There was a moment of silence, no one quite sure what to say. But it was thankfully broken by Kiley. "I know it's not what's a priority right now, but… the media is having a field day. I can release a statement if you want, but I don't advise staying silent."

Bethany looked at her once-friend and nodded. "No, it is a priority. People are freaking the fuck out. They deserve to know what is happening. Can you set up a press conference?"

"And say what?" Steve asked.

"The truth," Bethany said simply. "Why lie? What would it benefit? We're not protecting them from anything. They deserve to know. And they deserve to hear it from us. No fuss, no muss. Just the honest truth."

Kiley nodded, "I'll get right on it," she promised, leaving the room with her phone in her hand.

Bethany sighed, taking a seat at the table. "Beth-"

"No, Steve," Bethany shook her head. "No more lies."

"I'm not fighting you on it," Steve told her softly, taking her hand. "But they're going to ask what we can do to reverse it."

Bethany nodded her head in agreement. She felt fuzzy. Not herself. It was like when she was on the battlefield and she was tapping into the hardened SHIELD agent of her past. And as scary as it was to let that side take over, it was what she needed right now. Because a good part of her wanted to just crumble. Wanted to cry. To sob. To mourn. To grieve. But she wasn't _because_ of what Steve was saying—was there a chance they could reverse it?

"Isn't that what we're all asking?" Bethany replied to the room, looking at the faces of who remained. Thor was in the corner, more distant and unaware than she had ever seen. Natasha and Rhodey looked lost without direction. The raccoon-thing that had come with Thor was silent, but intently listening to her. "If the stones could do what they did, could they undo them?"

She was specifically asking Thor, but he stayed silent. His companion answered, "Theoretically. But that means _finding _Thanos first."

"How do we do that?" Steve asked.

"We could trace the stones' signal," Bethany immediately replied. "We were able to trace the gamma signature on the Tesseract."

"But we'd have to increase that signal to the entire universe," Natasha pointed out.

"Yeah, but there's a signal on every single one of those stones," Bethany reminded them. "And it increases when they're used. If he uses them again, we can narrow in on that."

"And then what?" Rhodey asked. "March into battle again? What would make this time any different?"

Bethany had to admit that Rhodey had a point—what would make this time any different? They were short _major_ key players in their team. They were left with such a small group of individuals, could they take on Thanos and all his powers?

"Nothing," Steve agreed. "But we'd have to try anyways. We can't just accept this. We can't just lay down and call it a day."

Kiley walked back into the room, announcing that she'd been able to schedule a conference. "An hour, they said. That's how long it'll be to get most of the stations down here. Who's going to speak."

"I will," Bethany volunteered immediately.

"You don't have to," Steve told her. "Any of us could."

Bethany shook her head. "No, I'll do it. In the meantime, Nat—call Clint. And Rhodey, see if you can trace Tony's suit. Until we know otherwise, we assume he's still lost in space. I'll help you after the conference. And call Pepper."

"I can help, with uh, tracing the suit," the raccoon offered. "I know space."

"What's your name?" Bethany asked after a nod, realizing she couldn't just keep referring to him as a raccoon anymore.

"Rocket," he replied.

Bethany stood up, gesturing for Steve to follow her into the next room. "Don't," she quickly warned him when he went to open his mouth. "I'm fine right now and I need to stay fine until after the conference."

"What happened?" Steve said instead. "Between Jen's and here? What happened?"

"I don't know," She shook her head. "I don't remember anything from when we… I don't remember Steve. Sometimes, under stress, you blackout. That must be what happened."

"Have you blacked out before?" Steve continued. "You know… from before?"

She knew he was referring to when he was still in the ice. "Sometimes," Bethany allowed. "But I feel okay right now."

Steve sighed, sitting in a nearby chair. "I know, but that worries me, Beth," he confined in her. "Doesn't it worry you? That you're _fine_?"

"I'm not relapsing," Bethany stated quickly. "I'm just… I don't know. In denial, maybe. Probably. Aren't you?"

Steve's eyes met hers and she realized quickly that he _wasn't_ in denial. He was in _pain_ and he was _angry_. Bethany's shoulders fell and she moved to sit next to him, taking his hand in hers. "Steve, I can't just accept that this is real. It's too crazy to be real."

"But it is," he whispered. "It _is_ real. And yes, maybe, _maybe_ we can change everything. We'll damn well try. But what if we can't change it?"

"No," Bethany shook her head, standing up. "No. I'm not accepting that as an option, Steve."

"Beth-"

"No," she told him again. "I _can't_ accept that. Because the moment I do is the moment I lose my grip on everything, and I _can't_ lose that right now. I can't."

"You don't need to be everyone's strength," he reminded her, his voice breaking as he pleaded with her. "We can do it together. But when we wake up tomorrow, they won't be here."

"Stop," Bethany pleaded, feeling her emotions rise. "Just let me… just let me get through today."

Steve let out a deep breath, but seemed to agree. They sat in silence until Kiley told them it was time to face the cameras and tell the world.

* * *

As the doors to the Avengers Facility opened up, a slew of cameras lights and shouts from reporters attacked Steve and Bethany. She had volunteered to speak, but he was going to stay close behind her. The way she was reacting to everything seemed… abnormal. But he was also a little grateful that she seemed to have enough wits about her to do this. The last thing Steve wanted to do was face the world and admit defeat, but he would gladly do it if Bethany was unable to go through with it.

His heart _ached_. All he wanted was to cry for the loss of his children, but he was holding himself together—barely, but enough to get through this with her. But more than anything, he _needed _Bethany to mourn with him. He couldn't face the idea of mourning for their children alone. He had grieved a child of theirs before without her and it had been one of the most painful experiences in his life. Steve didn't think he could do it again without her. She was all he had left.

Bethany stepped to a podium Kiley had set up, Steve at her six, watching her intently. Her fingers shook slightly, and he could see that hard shell she had up an hour ago slowly curl away. That adrenaline of denial was slipping away, and he could tell that her pain was starting to sink deep into her soul. But she waited until the reporters stopped shouting their questions to begin. Her voice was clear, and wavered slightly, but she maintained a strong composure. It was evident that she was digging deep into her body to keep herself together.

"Six years ago, New York was attacked. We came out of that day knowing that we weren't alone in our universe and that above all, our defense systems weren't a match for any potential threat. What we didn't know then is that the attack on New York would ultimately lead to the events of today. The attack on New York was in part led by a man named Thanos. And I know what I'm about to say sounds crazy, but after what you have witnessed today, you know that there could be no other explanation for crazy but with more crazy. Today, with a snap of his fingers and the help of six magic stones, Thanos was able to wipe out fifty percent of all living beings."

Bethany gave a moment of silence as the reporters began to shout out, but she seemed to pinpoint on one question in particular. "No, I don't know the exact numbers. What I _do_ know, what I've been told is that Thanos didn't have a specific issue with Earth. His goal? Population control. Statistically, every single person standing here, listening to this, has lost a loved one today. Us included. Our team, our friends, our _family_ has been cut in _half_, by will of _magic_."

"Is there a way to undo this?" A reporter quickly shouted out.

"I-" Bethany began, letting out a sigh. Steve was about to step in when Bethany was able to gather herself again. "I don't know. _I don't know_. But if there is, we'll find one. I'm not willing to accept this as a new reality before all avenues are travelled. I'm not willing to accept that my children…"

Shaking her head, she took a step back from the podium. The questions began to rise again, ranging from who to blame, to what to do, to questions about the Sokovia Accords. But Steve didn't care. He didn't hear any of them. All he did was wrap an arm around Bethany and led her back into the Facility. When the doors closed, Bethany collapsed into Steve's arm, her pain and guilt breaking apart whatever denial she still had. The two of them slid down the wall, holding each other as Steve finally let his own tears fall.

He wasn't sure if minutes or hours had passed, but when both of their eyes were exhausted, unable to produce anymore tears, they quietly moved up to the communal living area. Theo was where they had left him, sitting on the couch, watching TV. The only difference is when Steve left the blond boy, he had been watching cartoons. Now, the news was on, currently showing Bethany's press conference.

"You let me go on TV like that?" Bethany whispered, no humour in her voice, despite her effort.

Steve pulled over a blanket from the side of the couch, draping it over Theo's sleeping body, while looking at the screen. Both of them were battle torn. Neither of them had thought to change or even clean up the blood before showing themselves on TV. Maybe it would show that they had at least _tried_ to defeat Thanos. But Steve knew that the naysayers would always be naysayers. "Let's go shower," Steve suggested, reaching out for her hand. He was in no hurry to leave her side. The idea of being in a different room than her was _soul crushing_. If she wasn't right there in front of her, how did he know that she wouldn't disappear too?

In the bathroom, Bethany opened the cupboards under the sink, pulling out a first aid kit. Steve began to take off his suit, wincing as his bones and muscles moved. He stood there, naked, as Bethany looked over him. Catching a glimpse in the mirror, he knew that he had come out of battles looking much prettier in the past. His face was a mess. His neck had bruises from when he was chocked and the rest of his body looked no different. Bethany's fingers carefully touched his skin, whispering over it enough to assess the damage but not hurt him. It had been years since they had shared a moment like this, but neither one of them missed it.

Steve moaned slightly when Bethany began to clean his wounds with antiseptic, but she didn't chastise him like she usually did. When she was done, Steve helped her out of her own suit. Despite the dry blood on her body, no marks remained. But the way in which she moved told him that she was in pain anyways. Steve slowly wrapped his arms around her, letting her lay her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. But similarly, he could feel her heart pounding against him—it was wild with emotion, moving so quickly and without any real rhythm that it didn't surprise Steve when she broke apart from the embrace to throw up in the toilet.

* * *

Bethany's body was heavy with exhaustion. It had been three weeks since the battle and she could still feel the pain in every muscle of her body. It wasn't because she hadn't healed from her physical wounds. Just like they always did, they stitched themselves back together, leaving her body without any scars or bruises. But it didn't change the fact that emotionally and mentally she was absolutely wrecked. Sleeping was damn near impossible as her mind continuously raced with a million questions, trying to find a solution to Thanos' unjust actions upon the universe. With every second, the numbers of 'causalities' rose. More and more 'deaths' she could feel on her hands. Half the population was gone. They ceased to exist. But Bethany refused to believe that they were dead. No; how could they be? It made no logical sense. But then again, none of it did.

Every night, she laid her exhausted head on Steve's chest, needing to hear proof that his heart was still beating, that he was still there. And despite the comfort, despite him holding her and kissing her and saying all the right words, sleep seemed foreign to her body. Beyond sleep deprivation, her eyes were heavy from the weeks of tears streaming down her face. As the numbers continued to grow, the tears became heavier. But now, she was convinced she didn't have any left. She felt empty. The last time she felt like this, like there was absolutely nothing she could do but be in a constant state of exhaustion and pain, it was when she lost Steve. She held onto that pain for decades. The only way out of it was getting him back. But how were they supposed to get anyone back? How were they supposed to save the world this time?

"Is he asleep?" Steve asked when Bethany came back into the room. The holographic images on the table were haunting her. The numbers continued to rise; not slowly but with a rapid speed. More and more people were reporting that their loved ones were gone. They had set up the website for statistical reasons. They needed to know just how much, how many, they had lost. It wasn't just people that were being recorded, but pets too. Everything with a heartbeat on the planet, in the universe, had been subjected to Thanos' snap. And so the numbers continued to roll higher and higher with every second.

"Yeah," she replied tiredly, walking to stand next to him. "I don't blame him for not wanting to sleep. He's scared he's going to wake up and we're all going to be gone. And I can't even promise him that's not the case. What if Thanos decides he's not done? What if he snaps again?"

"Shhh," Steve comforted her as she began to feel her emotions mount up again. She found comfort being in his embrace, listening to his heart. "Don't think like that."

"I want them back, Steve," Bethany whispered, gripping onto his white shirt. "They were innocent children and now they're gone."

"I want them back too," he promised, kissing the top of her head. "We just… we need to make a plan."

"Which is impossible with no pieces to the puzzle," Bethany reminded him. It was true; they knew next to nothing. They had no idea where Thanos was. No idea if the Infinity Stones could reverse the Mad Titan's actions. And most of their brainpower had been wiped away with the snap. All they had was the pager that they found by Fury's car. The hope of the galaxy rested with a piece of outdated technology. Sure, the pager had been significantly altered to increase its signal, but Bethany recognized the pager. She knew it was Fury's. And she knew that he wouldn't have held onto it and sent out the signal unless it was to help them as the world erupted into flames.

"We'll figure it out," Steve whispered. "We always do. Somehow. This is no different. I refuse to let this be any different. We'll get our babies back, Beth."

"Okay," She agreed meekly. By his tone, she could tell he didn't quite believe his own words, but that he was determined to do everything in his power to make them come true. It wasn't that Bethany didn't have hope; she did. She had gone a lifetime with people telling her that Steve was dead—but she had been stubborn and refused to completely accept that. Refuse to move on. And in the end, when she got the call that he was alive, she didn't even question how. Because all along, she had a sliver of hope. And that sliver of hope took her far.

But she didn't want to wait another lifetime to get her children back. To get her life back. Her doubt streamed from the fact that she didn't know where to go from here. That the entire world was looking to them for answers and solutions and they didn't have anything else to give.

"I don't know what I would have done if I lost you," Steve told her softly. "I don't know what I'd be doing right now, but I know I wouldn't be holding myself together."

"I'm here," Bethany replied, wrapping her arms around him tightly. Besides the little blond boy sleeping in their bed at that very moment, the only comfort they got was from each other. They had been almost inseparable. It was an unspoken fact that they were afraid that if they let the other slip from their gaze, they'd be gone forever. They had already suffered so much; losing each other would be the final straw for both of them. But by them both being there, being together, they were able to hold onto enough strength to continue to fight to get the world back to the way it was before a madman decided that he knew better than everyone else.

The couple's head turned as Natasha came into the room. "What?" Bethany asked, seeing the woman's tense face.

"I was able to view another one of Tony's messages," Natasha told them carefully. "I know you don't want to hear this, but we're running out of time."

"I don't know how to rescue him," Bethany whispered, feeling her heart race. The knowledge that Tony was floating around in space, dying with every second, was hard enough to deal with without everything else. "The technology Rocket is referring to to get us that deep into space? And we don't even know how far he is."

"I know," Natasha promised her, flickering her eyes to Steve's for a moment. "We're not blaming you Bethany. You were able to find the messages in the first place. None of us would have been able to. But he's… he's saying his goodbyes. I just want you to be prepared for no more messages to come in."

Bethany squared her jaw, looking away from Natasha and to the ever-growing number projected from the table. Hacking her way into the Iron Man suit had been a great way to find out whether Tony was a causality of the snap. There was a brief moment of relief when she realized that he was alive, followed by weeks of torment at the idea of him drifting off into space. They didn't have the means to find him, let alone bring him home. They were quite literally just waiting for him to die and it broke her heart. There was so many things she wanted to say to him; so many things she wanted to hear from him. And absolutely none of them were him forgiving her. She wanted more than anything for him to yell at her, to tell her how he felt about her actions. She didn't want her own conscious to be eased—it never would be. But she sure as hell wanted his to be. Bethany had left so quickly to start her life with Steve—she had left before Tony could get a grasp on his emotions and say what he felt. Emote just how much her betrayal destroyed him. She didn't want him to die holding onto those feelings. She wanted him to be heard.

"This is a nightmare," Steve voiced, watching the number continue to roll upwards.

"I've had better nightmares," Natasha replied, her voice shaky. It had been that way for three weeks. Any strength Natasha once had was gone.

"Hey…" they heard Rhodey say from behind him, the group thanking the excuse to turn away from the prove of their failure. "So that thing just stopped doing whatever the hell it was doing."

Steve and Bethany shared a look before the three of them followed Rhodey into the next room. Fury's pager had been a topic of a lot of speculation. Because it was the only lead they had, they had worked weeks on trying to figure out who Fury was trying to contact. They signal went far beyond their scope and it was a struggle to keep the outdated form of communication charged. "What happened?" Bethany asked as she stepped up to the pager.

"Whatever signal it was sending finally crapped out," Bruce explained.

"I thought we bypassed the battery," Steve stated.

"We did," Rhodey confirmed. "It's still plugged in. It's just… it just stopped."

Steve stared at it for a moment before sending out an order. "Reboot it. Send the signal again."

The power in Steve's voice left very little room for argument. It was a tone he had been using a lot lately; one that no one questioned. Everyone understood that Steve and Bethany had lost more than the rest of them. Steve's passion to fix this mistake was fuelled by his anger. Steve had very little time to be upset those past weeks—he was just angry. He hadn't failed a lot during his life, but not only did he let the world down, but he let his family down.

"We-we don't even know what this is," Bruce reminded Steve carefully.

"It doesn't matter," Bethany replied, supporting her husband. "Fury kept this thing for a reason. It was by his car for a reason. And it's the only clue we have."

"Just do it please," Natasha agreed. "Tell us the second you get a signal. I want to know who's on the other end of that thing."

Bethany watched as Natasha turned around, stopping as she saw a stranger in the room. Turning her gaze to look at the stranger, Bethany's brows rose as she looked at the very angry blonde woman dressed in a tight red, blue and gold suit.

"Where's Fury?"

* * *

****A/N: I will post within the next week, I'm just not entirely sure when yet. BUT WE'RE OFFICIALLY IN ENDGAME AND I'M SO HAPPY. It's been 6 years working on this story. And 198 chapters later, I'm actually so happy that the end is near lol.**

**Like I said though, I think What Ifs would be so much fun, and it gives me the option to make them as long or short as I want. **

**Assbitch67: I'm sorry. But like... you know they come back LOL **

**TheHatterM: I'm glad it was hard to read cause that means I'm doing my job right. **

**zikashigaku: Yeah, I was banking on people thinking it was Jamie, which is why I did it that way ;) **

**Creation City Street: Yeah the idea of it is really exciting! There's all these avenues I can write that I didn't before. It's allowing me to take these characters that I've been writing for six years and just like REWRITE who they are. **

**Purplestan: Yeah, I agree- it WOULD be a sore spot. It'd be hard on both of them I think. Either way, they'll be spending the next 5 years in a lot of pain. **

**LadyBelle91: Haha, I'll take being partially forgiven. I wanted to throw a curveball in for everyone. I don't like being predictable if I can help it. **


	9. Chapter 9

****A/N: I originally wrote the first two scenes as one scene, so there may be some continuity errors. Please let me know if you see any!**

Chapter 9

As the group told Carol what happened to Fury, Bethany watched her carefully. The woman seemed to have some kind of special bond with Fury, but Bethany had never even heard of her before. Based on the limited information Carol was sharing, Fury hadn't been the director of SHIELD at the time, but she and Fury had still been friends—or at least friendly. She didn't exactly have friends during that period of her life, but she knew the benefit of having allies. Allies meant insight. And insight meant power.

"Why'd it take so long to respond to the signal?" Steve asked.

"I was on the other side of the galaxy," she replied with ease. "It takes some time."

Her answer had Bethany sitting up in her chair. "The other side of the galaxy? You can travel through space?"

"Yeah," Carol replied, slightly confused.

Bethany pushed out of her chair, moving to the keyboard of the holographic image above the keyboard. "My nephew was in space when Thanos snapped," Bethany began. "He's alive, and drifting through space. They can't get the ship to work. And he's running out of time."

Carol stood up, moving closer to Bethany. "Do you have a location?"

"A general one," Bethany nodded, tapping away at the keys. "We can hone in on a general location using the videos he's sending us. By the time you get to it—"

"It'll change because of the drift," Carol finished, nodding.

"Do you think you can find him?" Bethany asked, hoping her eyes didn't show her desperation. There was a small part of her that truly believed that when they found Tony, they could solve everything. She was clinging onto the idea that Tony could bring her children back to her.

"I can try," Carol agreed. "I make no promises."

"We're just trusting her?" Bruce asked, no malice in his voice, but deep concern.

"Fury trusted her," Natasha quickly reminded him. "And I think we all know how hard it is to get Fury's trust."

"I better hurry if I want to catch him in time," Carol told the group, looking at the coordinates they were able to zone in on. They watched as she went to a door overlooking a balcony, tossed them a small smirk and flew up into the air with nothing but her own body.

"What the hell was that?" Rhodey asked, filling their silence.

"I don't know," Bethany replied, the first smile in weeks pulling at her lips. "But I like her."

* * *

With hope that Carol would be able to find Tony, Bethany pulled up SHIELD's old database the next day, still functioning despite the records being public access by now. But she knew that something like this, something like Carol, would be easier to find through SHIELD's database opposed to Google. Her eyes flickered to Steve for a moment, but he stayed in his place across the room, watching her carefully.

Bethany spent a better of an hour quickly reading the reports written about Carol—all by Fury, and then with exasperation, hit the close button and leaned back in her chair. "What?" Steve asked.

"I don't know why I'm surprised when I find out something new about Nick," Bethany replied. "I don't know why to this day I don't think he has secrets. At the time, yeah, he would kept it a secret, but there's no reason why he would have kept her a secret. The whole mission report is about aliens and space and… and the Tesseract. She's _powered_ by the Tesseract. And SHIELD decided to keep that from me."  
"Why?" Steve questioned, his brow furrowing. "Why would they when you started to work with it? If they knew that a human could be _powered_ by the Tesseract, why would they keep that from you?"

"I don't know," Bethany admitted, her eyes wide. "It makes no sense. SHIELD wanted to tap into the Tesseract to build weapons."

"Do you think their plan in the long run was to do to others what happened to Carol?"

"I don't see why not," Bethany replied. "And theoretically, I would have been the perfect first candidate for it. I _was_ a guinea pig for SHIELD after Howard died."

"Maybe they didn't want to jump the gun," Steve explained.

"But if this was their plan, to create _more _people with superpowers, why hand over the Tesseract to Thor in the first place?" Bethany asked.

"They shouldn't have done it at all, apparently," Steve sighed. "If we knew what the Tesseract really was back then-"

"We could have destroyed it," Bethany finished. "Or Loki's spectre. We had _two _in our hands _at the same time_. And we let them both go."

"We didn't know what they were," Steve reminded her. "We didn't even know about the infinity stones until Ultron came along and Thor told us."  
"Right, and he jet off to Asgard to look into why we were continuously interacting with them," Bethany pointed out. "That clearly didn't happen."

"Are you blaming him?" Steve asked.

"Maybe a little bit," Bethany allowed, moving over to Steve and sitting on the table across from his chair, their knees touching. "I'm mostly blaming myself, even though I feel like I have no reason to."

"Must be nice not to have a reason," Steve told her softly, looking where their knees touched. "I keep thinking about what we… what _I _could have done different."

"Nothing," Bethany corrected, lifting Steve's gaze up to her with a single finger. "Don't do that to yourself. You don't get to shoulder the blame on your own. We did everything we could."

"Evidentially not," Steve pointed out. "We _had_ the stones."

"But not when it mattered," Bethany stressed. "Yes, if we had the Tesseract _and_ Vision, maybe, _maybe_ we would have stood a chance. But he still would have had _four_. There's no guarantee. What happened, happened. We can't change the past. We've learned that. As far as we've come, we haven't mastered time travel, and even if we did… time travel is _dangerous_. The Butterfly Effect is _real_. What?" She asked suddenly, seeing him smile a little.

"Nothing," Steve replied softly. "I just… I missed you rambling. You've been quiet the past three weeks."

"There's been too much going on in my mind to vocalize."

"That's never stopped you before."

Bethany chuckled, but it felt wrong. "Yeah, well most of my thoughts are non-sensical right now. Probably the lack of sleep."

Steve took her hands in his, bringing them up to his lips and kissing them softly. Bethany appreciated the moment, returning it by cupping his face with her right hand as the left one fell to his knee. "Your beard is getting long," she mused.

"I was thinking of shaving it," he told her. "Nobody has knocked at the door wanting to lock us up."

"The Accords are the last of anyone's problems right now," Bethany sighed, letting "I'm so tired" slip from her lips.

"I feel lost," Steve told her suddenly, looking into her. "I feel empty. I feel like… like I don't want to continue. But like I have to."

Bethany nodded, resting her forehead against his. "I know exactly how you feel," she whispered. Grief was surrounding _everyone_, but there were moments when they felt it more than others. And despite her breakdowns, despite the depth of hurt inside of her, she _knew_ this wasn't the farthest she could fall. Was it the hope she still had? Some of her denial still lingering? Or was it the chip that Shuri had implanted into her brain to keep her from falling into any kind of mental distress?

"I should feel depressed," Bethany quietly told Steve. "But I can't. I can't. I'm sad. I'm grieving. I'm hurt. But something keeps telling me that… that it could be worse. That it _should_ be worse." Steve raised his hand to where he knew the implant was embedded. "They deserve me to grieve them completely, don't they?"

"Doll, I'm glad that chip is keeping you off the edge," Steve confided in her. "Because I can't handle one more blow right now. _You're _keeping me strong. And you _are_ grieving them. Just… not the way you're used to."

Bethany accepted this as a single tear fell down her face. It wasn't as if she didn't feel anything about the effects of Thanos' actions. She just felt like she could control herself and her actions. That she was able to step up to the plate when she was needed. That she could keep her tears for when it was just her and Steve. And it wasn't a battle. She didn't feel like she was trying to force her body to do these things—they just were. But when it came to sleep…

She knew that she had slept throughout the weeks, but they had been filled with nightmares, or she'd wake up feeling anxious. But she said nothing to _anyone_ as they were all suffering from the same thing, others much worse than hers. She could already tell that Steve was going to have a relapse of his survivor's guilt and PTSD. Most nights, she would have to coax him out of his nightmares, letting his head rest on her chest when he woke up so he could focus on her heartbeat and ground himself. Theo spent a lot of time sleeping in their room. They had set him up in Wanda's old room, but it became clear immediately that he couldn't handle the idea of being alone all night. Steve had moved the bed into their room. It was packed but it seemed to make a difference. Some nights he would fall asleep in their bed and Steve would move him over when he was fast asleep.

There had been a mention of them moving back into the house outside the Facility, but as soon as Bethany got to the door, she immediately began to struggle to breath. She had turned around and walked back to the Facility—it was like she was _going_ to have a panic attack but was able to control it. She hadn't realized how much that house reminded her of Jamie until she was on the porch. Steve had carefully packed some things that they would need in the coming days and returned to the Facility. He hadn't yet brought up the farmhouse, but Bethany knew it would have to be addressed sooner rather than later. And based on how wrecked Steve was when he returned from the house, she knew that he couldn't do the farmhouse alone. He was holding himself strong, but Bethany could tell by his words and the look in his eyes that he was doing worse than she was because he was feeling the full impact of the blow. She had to step up and be the shield for him this time.

Standing up, she offered her hand to him. When he took it, she led them to where they were currently living. It had just passed midnight but Bethany knew that neither of them were going to go to bed anytime soon. They passed Pepper on their way to the bathroom and Bethany gave her a soft 'good night' before she closed the bathroom door.

It had been difficult to talk to her mostly because she didn't know what to say. She _knew_ that Tony would have told Pepper what she did. But Pepper was notorious for not letting Tony's feelings and opinions impact her own, so Bethany didn't really know where she stood with her. And frankly, it wasn't important right now. It was something she could face when they had Tony back on Earth.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked her when she locked the bathroom door.

"We're going to shave your beard," she replied simply, going into the cabinet to get the razor and shaving cream.

"I thought you liked the beard."

"I do," Bethany confirmed, handing him the razor and shaving cream. "I really do. But the best part about hair is that it tends to grow back. If you feel like shaving it, shave it."

Steve hesitated but agreed. Bethany leaned against the wall as she watched him take his shirt off to keep it from getting wet and began to lather up his beard. Pulling her hair away from her face and securing it with the elastic on her wrist, she watched as his muscles flexed with every move. She watched as the beautiful, full beard she'd come to love was chiselled away until it revealed his skin. Bethany felt a ghost of a smile tug at her lips when she saw his strong jaw line—a jawline she had admired even before the serum. Yes, she had loved the beard. She really did. She felt that it gave him this smoldering sexy look—like a lumberjack in a fantasy novel or something. But now that his face was clean shaven, she found that she didn't miss it at all.

Cleaning off the razor, Steve frowned as the ground began to shake. Their eyes met, both noting that the other felt it too. "Could she be back already?" Bethany asked before tossing Steve his shirt and they ran to the Facility's entrance, looking up into the night sky as they saw a spaceship being lowered carefully by a glowing Carol Danvers. The group slowed to a walk as they got closer to the ship. Bethany wasn't sure why she felt surprised by what she saw, but all she could really focus on was how fast her heart was beating. She hadn't seen her nephew in two years, and they left things on horrible terms. When the doors to the ship opened, he would either be dead or alive. And he would most likely still hold resentment towards her. For two years, Bethany struggled to come to terms with their fallout, and more importantly, what she would say if she got the chance. But all she wanted in that moment was to know; was he alive?

As the ramp opened, Bethany let out a gasp she didn't know she was holding as she saw Tony, being propped up by some blue silhouette, but evidentially still alive. Steve raced up immediately to help Tony, Bethany taking a few steps forward with concern, but stopping herself before she got too close.

"Couldn't stop him," she heard Tony say as Steve took sole support of Tony's weak body.

"Neither could I," Steve replied, looking up at his wife, but Bethany missed it, unable to stop looking at Tony's fragile state. His cheeks were sunken in and even in the dark, she could see the dark circles under his eyes.

"Hang on," Tony panted, bringing their slow walk to a halt. "I lost the kid."

"We did too," Steve whispered, breathlessly. "Tony, we lost…"

Bethany closed her eyes as she realized Steve couldn't bring himself to say it all. Couldn't bring himself to tell Tony that they lost their family, their friends, their team.

"Is, uh…?" Tony began to ask, clearly thankful when Pepper jogged up next to him. Steve took a step back as Pepper wrapped her arms around Tony, crying with relief. Over Pepper's shoulder, Tony looked out at Bethany, their eyes meeting for a quick moment. She thought she saw a splinter of comfort in his eyes at her survival, but their gaze broke too soon for Bethany to know for sure.

All that mattered was that Tony was alive.

* * *

Steve watched as Bethany sat outside of the medical room Tony was lying in, her legs pulled up to her body and her eyes focused on a wall. She hadn't gone into his room. She hadn't even _looked _into his room. She kept asking him for updates, but otherwise, sat there silently throughout the night. He was able to get a few hours of sleep here and there, curled up on the couch, but he knew that Bethany hadn't closed her eyes for more than a few seconds.

"Here you go," Steve whispered to her, handing her a coffee.

"Thanks," she replied, even quieter than he had been. "Did you check on Theo?"

"He's watching cartoons," Steve told her, sighing slightly. He wasn't sure what to do with the boy. School had effectively been cancelled for the year, and they were his legal guardians. He knew they should been spending more time making sure he was okay, but they were doing the best they could with the situation. Theo had been mostly silent since they told him about Thanos, spending the day watching cartoons and eating microwave meals. He felt for the kid—it wasn't easy losing a parent, especially when they are the only family you have left.

"Beth, why aren't you going in?" Steve finally found himself asking.

"I can't," Bethany whispered. "I can't until he asks. I'm not… Steve. I can't."

"Okay, shh," he replied softly, wrapping an arm around her as her heart rate began to roar again. "Just drink your coffee."

Bethany took a sip, leaning into his embrace. "I know it seems silly-"

"You're scared," Steve corrected. "You're scared about what he'll say because you think everything he'll say is right."

"Because everything he'll say _is_ right," Bethany reminded him. "I _did_ lie to him. I _did_ leave. I _did_ choose you over him. Do I regret my decisions? Yes. Okay, well no. Not the last two. But I regret lying to him. But I did that because of the third one—the choosing you. I don't… I never wanted to choose one of you over the other."

"I know," he promised, kissing the top of her head, attempting to soothe her. "I know you didn't. And I'm sorry I put you in that position."

"Don't. It's on me. I don't _have_ to blindly follow you… I just _do_. I do because I love you. And I'm afraid of losing you. I'm afraid of who I'd be without you. But that doesn't justify what I did to him."

"So tell him that," Steve said softly. "Doll, for the past two years, I've watch you beat yourself up about this. As far as Tony is concerned, he has no idea how you feel. And he won't until you tell him."

Bethany stayed silent, but he could tell that she was mulling over his words. He sat with her as she sipped at her coffee, her eyes still fixated on the wall opposite of them. Then, when she finished her drink, she handed Steve the mug and got up from her spot, silently making the move into Tony's room, sitting beside Pepper next to Tony's bed.

"What? The wall got too boring?" Steve could hear Tony ask her.

"Tony," Pepper warned him quietly.

"No, it's okay," Bethany argued, a sense of defeat in her tone.

"You know, just save it," Tony told her. "Nothing you say will change what you did."

"I know that," Bethany replied. "Tony, I've made a _lot _of mistakes. I've never pretended to be perfect. I know what I did. I know that words won't fix it. I know that I could say a million different things, but none of them will fix what I did. What I said. But I can still be here for you."

Tony scoffed, making Steve turn in his seat to look into the room at the exchange. "Yeah, be here after the matter. Be here when it's convenient for you. There was a time that I needed you, but that time is up. You made your decision. You sided with your _perfect_ husband and _lied_ to me, saying it was to protect your _perfect_ family but it was really all for yourself."

"Tony," Steve warned, standing up from his spot and standing in the door.

"Oh, and look. Here is the aforementioned _perfect_ husband to defend you," Tony continued.

Bethany let out a ragged breath of air, getting up from her seat and standing in front of him. "I got this," Bethany whispered.

"I get that he's hurting, but so are you," Steve stressed. "He shouldn't talk to you like this."

"I appreciate that you want to save me, I do. But I don't need you to right now," Bethany told him softly, her eyes begging him to take a step back. "I know you have the best of intentions, but you'll only make things worse. _Please_."

Steve clenched his jaw. He didn't like it. He didn't like that Bethany was planning on sitting there and letting Tony hurl insults at her. For two years she had been telling him that she was fine with Tony just yelling at her when they met, but actually having to sit and watch was brutal.

"I can't just stand here-"

"Then don't," Bethany interrupted. "Don't watch. Don't listen. Steve, I don't need you protecting me every second. I love you for it, but it's not going to help right now."

Steve sighed, knowing that she was probably right. If it wasn't for him, Bethany's decisions would have been _very _different. And maybe, _maybe_ if they hadn't just lost their children, Steve wouldn't feel so strongly about sheltering her in this very moment when he _knew_ she could take care of herself. But he had failed his kids. He just didn't want to fail her too. "I'll stay quiet," Steve conceded, sitting back on the bench outside of the room. Bethany sighed in the doorframe, clearly unhappy that he wasn't walking away altogether, but Steve didn't want to be too far from her. If she needed him, he wanted to be there.

"Are you done?" Tony asked, clearly annoyed.

"Kid," Bethany breathed, shaking her head before going back into the room. "I'm fine with you being upset with me. I'm fine with you yelling at me. I've accepted that my decisions hurt you. And I'll accept whatever fate you give our relationship. Yes. I should have told you about your parents' death when I found out. I know that. I didn't keep it a secret to hurt you. I've _never_ intentionally hurt you. And I think that deep down, you know that."

The silence on Tony's part confirmed that Bethany was right—Tony knew on some level that while Bethany's decision hurt him, she didn't do it with the intent on hurting him. "The way you found out was incredibly unfair," Bethany continued, moving closer to his bed. "It was stupid for me to keep it from you, assuming you'd never find out. Thinking that keeping it from you would ensure that things would stay the same. I'm sorry for that."

"It's all just words," Tony replied. "Words that are too late."

"Tony," Pepper attempted.

"No, Pep," Tony argued. "She needs to hear this."

"It's okay," Bethany softly told Pepper. "He's right. I _want_ to hear what he has to say."

There was a beat before Tony continued. "You were _selfish_," Tony spat, making Steve clench his hands together. "You said you did it for your family, but what about _me_? Because from where I'm sitting, it seems like I'm not a part of that anymore. I guess I didn't get the memo."

"Tony, that's not true," Bethany tried. "You're still my family. But… it's different when you have kids. It's different when you have them to think about."

"Still doesn't excuse lying to my face," Tony pressed on.

"No, it doesn't," Bethany agreed. "It doesn't."

Steve sat there silent, eyes closed as Tony continued his verbal beating towards Bethany. His words were hurtful, but Bethany allowed him to speak and _accepted_ them. It made him cringe to sit there and listen as Bethany's character and decisions were attacked. But she stayed there, taking them in, nodding, softly agreeing, and doing absolutely everything she could to show Tony that she truly _was_ sorry. None of her words seemed to actually calm him down any, but eventually, exhausted and malnourished, Tony began to run out of steam.

"Your feelings are valid," Steve heard Bethany say. "I'm not dismissing them. But this is a conversation we can continue when you're stronger. _If_ you want to. The ball is in your court, Tony. Whether you pick it up again or not is up to you. I've said all that I can say."

Steve stood when Bethany exited the room, following her as she walked into the hall. "Beth," Steve attempted, reaching out for her arm.

"I'm okay," she told him, turning to face him. Her eyes were watering, but there was a soft smile on her face that told Steve that she was telling the truth. "I knew it was going to be hard to hear. But all I really care about is that he's alive."

"And that's fine," Steve agreed. "But Beth… he's making you out to be a villain."

"In his story, I am," Bethany pointed out. "There was a time when I was the villain in your story too. A time when I was the villain in my _own_ story. This is not territory I'm unfamiliar with, Steve. He's angry—and he has reason to be. I'm not going to dismiss how he feels. And I really appreciate you trying to stand up for me. I love you for it, but I'm a lot stronger than I think you give me credit for."

Steve pulled her into his arms, resting his freshly-shaved chin on the top of her head. "You are the strongest person I know," he told her. "But even strong people need help and support from time to time."

Bethany pulled up at him and tried to smile again, but didn't get very far. "Well, then it's a good thing that I have you."

* * *

****A/N: Sorry if it was a long week in between updates. I start online classes next week, but I'm still planning on throwing in one update before next Saturday. **

**Cleo9247: It would be interesting to write a Steve with no Bethany and kids, but I felt that it would take the fun out of this for me. I like writing Bethany. I've decided what I'm going to do with the ending, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone. I think some people will like it and some people won't. But I've sat on my decision for the end for almost a year now and I'm really happy with it. **

**Toshiba234: Aw, I'm so happy you re-read them. I'll admit, I often re-read them myself because I find that they help me getting into the minds of the characters. **

**anonymouscsifan: Yay! I'm glad that it got posted on your birthday, it's like a little gift haha. I'm back living with my family for the next 6 months so my sister has basically been stuck to my side 24/7 and she JUDGES when I cry LOL. **

**Jo: Haha then I'm doing my job right!**

**CaptainLoki: It is going to be hard. I'm struggling a little with trying to find some interesting things to write during those 5 years that just isn't them being miserable. While I debated them having issues, I'm totally fine with people knowing that I intend on them staying strong. I think that their relationship is so much more than just the kids and neither of them blame each other for what happened. As you can kinda see from the last two chapters, the only thing really holding them together is knowing that they have each other and I plan on keeping it that way. I want them to go into Endgame stronger than they have ever been. **


	10. Chapter 10

****A/N: Online semester TORTURED my laptop. I'm talking daily forced resets, programs crashing, or just not working at all. And then it insisted on downloading a new software in order to work again, which I didn't have enough room for. So, I present a very delayed update.**

**This chapter contains movie AND original script dialogue, so you'll recognize some parts and not others.**

* * *

Chapter 10

When Tony insisted that he had got enough rest, the entire team gathered together to discuss what had happened in the last three weeks. Steve had suggested to Bethany that she get a little extra sleep, since she was essentially operating on nothing but caffeine, but she declined. The dark bags under her eyes reviled those of Tony's. And although nothing could compare to the weight loss that resulted from Tony's extended journey to space, Steve noticed that Bethany had also lost a few pounds. In fact, everyone in the room seemed to have slimmed down since their return from Wakanda.

"It's been twenty-three days since Thanos came to Earth," Rhodey explained as the group looked at a slideshow of holograms, headshots of their missing comrades flickering about the room.

"World governments are in pieces," Natasha filled in. "The parts that are still working are trying to take a census. And it looks like he did… he did exactly what he said he was gonna do. Thanos wiped out fifty percent of all living creatures on Earth."

"Not just Earth," Carol reminded them, her eyes never looking away from the image of Fury in front of her.

"You sure about that?" Rhodey challenged.

"You never have to ask me that," Carol promised, her eyes flickering away from Fury's image to meet his.

"Where is he now?" Tony asked. "Where?"

"We don't know," Steve said softly. "He just opened a portal and walked through."

"What's wrong with him?" Tony asked, gesturing to a sullen-looking Thor, sitting behind a glass wall, close enough to still be a part of the group, but far enough away to not be involved.

"Oh, he's pissed," Rocket explained. "He thinks he failed. Which of course he did, but you know, there's a lot of that going around, ain't there?"

"Honestly, until this exact second, I thought you were a Build-A-Bear."

"Maybe I am," Rocket accepted.

"We've been hunting Thanos for three weeks," Steve continued, bringing the conversation back on track. He could feel Bethany looking at him with her tired eyes, but he couldn't meet them right now. He couldn't see the failure in her eyes. "Deep Space scans, and satellites, and we got nothing. Tony, you fought him."

"Who told you that?" Tony asked, his face filled with shock. "I didn't fight him. No, he wiped my face with a planet while the Bleecker Street Magician gave away the store. That's what happened. There was no fight."

"Okay," Steve replied softly, nodding his head, very similarly to how he would talk to the kids when they were upset.

"He's unbeatable," Tony pressed on.

"Did he give you any clues, any coordinates, anything?" Steve replied.

Tony's response was less than mature, a sarcastic 'pfft' escaping his lips. "I saw this coming a few years back. I had a vision. I didn't wanna believe it. Thought I was dreaming."

Frustrated, Steve tried again. "Tony, I'm gonna need you to focus."

"Steve," he heard Bethany caution quietly, but it was lost in Tony's outbreak.

"And I needed you. As in past tense. That trumps what you need. It's too late buddy. Sorry. You know what I need?" Tony began to stand, pushing objects off the table, filling the room with a clatter, which everyone reacted to by wincing. "I need a shave. And a burger, not a bowl of soup. And I believe I remember telling all youse-"

"Tony, Tony-" Rhodey reprimanded as Tony pulled the IV from his arm as he continued his rant.

"-Alive and otherwise what we needed was a suit of armor around the world! Remember that? Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not- that's what we needed!"

"Well, that didn't work out, did it?" Steve reminded Tony, thinking back towards Ultron and the mess that made. In a lot of ways, Ultron led them down the path to where they were.

"I said 'we'd lose'," Tony pointed out. "You said, 'we'll do that together too.' And guess what, Cap? We lost. And you weren't there. But that's what we do, right? Our best work after the fact? We're the 'Avengers', we're the 'Avengers'. Not the 'Pre-vengers'."

"Okay," Rhodey said softly, trying to guide Tony back to his wheelchair.

"Right?" Tony asked directly to Rhodey.

"You made your point. Just sit down," Rhodey half-begged.

Steve stood a little straighter as he watched Tony get a little more agitated fighting against Rhodey's guidance, adding more banter to the conversation, including a compliment towards Carol.

"We need you, you're new blood," Tony informed the blonde as he freed himself from Rhodey, walking closer to Steve. At this point, Bethany stood up from her spot, approaching him with caution, but a sense of authority. "Bunch of tired old mules. I got nothing for you, Cap! I got no coordinates, no clues, no strategies, no options. Zero. Zip. Nada. No trust. Liar."

"Tony," Bethany said in a hushed whisper, but Tony didn't move his gaze from Steve's. In that moment, Steve could really see everything that he had done to hurt Tony. For two years, Bethany had carried so much guilt, but the look in his old friend's eyes showed Steve that he had hurt Tony just as much as Bethany had. Steve watched as Tony reached for his Arc Reactor, tearing the piece away from his chest and shoving it into Steve's hand.

"Here, take this," Tony seethed. "You find him, and you put that on. You hide."

Everyone reached towards him as he collapsed to his knees. "Tony," Bethany whispered again, quickly moving down to her own knees in front of him. "I know you did everything you could."

"It wasn't enough," Tony whispered to her, his voice weak and body shaking.

"It never is, is it?" Bethany replied carefully before Tony fell unconscious into her arms.

* * *

Bethany sat on the couch outside of Tony's room, but this time, facing the door. She began to rub the left side of her face with her hand that was propped up by the arm of the couch, feeling pressure deep within her skull. She knew she was tired. She knew she was stressed. And she knew that Steve's insistence that she rest was with good intentions, but she couldn't bring herself to agree to them quite yet. Even if she did crawl into bed, her brain would be too busy to rest. And on the odd chance she did fall asleep, she was terrified of what visions her dreams would bring her.

She knew that Steve's reassuring hand on her back shouldn't bother her the way it was. He was trying to help, trying to calm, trying to comfort. But Steve's comfort wasn't what she needed in that moment. Not after that confrontation with Tony because he had some valid points. And when the consequences of decisions meant losing your children, it was difficult to just accept and move away.

"Bruce gave him a sedative," Rhodey told the room. "He's gonna probably be out for the rest of the day."

"You guys take care of him," Carol told the group. "And I'll bring him a Xorrian Elixir when I come back."

"Where are you going?" Steve asked as Carol began to walk away.

"To kill Thanos," Carol said with indifference.

Steve and Natasha looked at each other before following Carol, Bethany and Rhodey right on their trail.

"Hey," Natasha began, catching Carol's attention. "You know, we usually work as a team here, and between you and I, morale's a little fragile."

"Oh, I'm sorry. My fault," Carol began sarcastically. "All right, team! I'm going to go kill Thanos. Message me if you get any intel that can help. Otherwise, I'll report back when he's dead. Great work, everybody." Bethany knew this was supposed to an insult of some kind, but she was too tired to do anything but smirk. Carol's words and attitude didn't seem too different from her past self's.

"We realize up there is more your territory, but this is our fight too," Steve reminded her.

"You even know where he is?" Rhodey pressed on.

"I know people who might," Carol said with ease.

"Don't bother," Nebula's voice sounded from behind Carol. "I can tell you where Thanos is."

Bethany's spine straightened, as if a burst of electricity had just shot through her. Her headache, every single tired nerve in her body vanished with those simple words. The group eagerly followed Nebula back into a meeting room, collecting Banner and Thor along the way. Bethany's hand somehow finding Steve's during the short journey.

"Thanos spent a long time trying to perfect me," Nebula began to share, her voice quiet and filled with pain. "And when he worked, he talked about his Great Plan. Even disassembled, I wanted to please him. I'd ask 'where would we go once his plan was complete?' His answer was always the same: 'To the Garden.'"

"That's cute," Rhodey allowed. "Thanos has a retirement plan."

"So where is he?" Steve pushed, knowing there was more.

"Well, Bethany had the right idea about tracing the stones," Rocket told the group, bringing the holo table to life with an image of the Earth. "When Thanos snapped his fingers, Earth became ground zero for a power surge of ridiculously cosmic proportions. No one's ever seen anything like it... Until two days ago." A new holographic planet appeared, vibrations from shockwaves travelling through the core. "On this planet."

"The planet is unnamed, but inhabitable," Nebula explained. "Rich atmosphere, good soil."

"A garden," Steve summarized.

"Thanos is there," she confirmed.

"He used the stones again," Natasha pointed out softly.

"For what?" Bethany spoke up, her own voice shocking her a little. She had been virtually silent all day. But as everyone looked at her, she continued. "Why would he use them? It looked like it pained him when he used them the first time."

"Hey, hey, hey. We'd be going in short-handed, you know," Bruce reminded the group.

"Because he killed all our friends," Rhodey remind him.

"Are we saying they're dead? We're using that word now?" Rocket surveyed the room.

"No," Bethany quickly replied, shaking her head. "We're not." She refused to accept that as an option. Gone was one thing. Dead was another. And in her opinion, they were _very _different, especially in how they'd impact her psyche.

"Look, he's still got the stones," Rhodey spoke, continuing to be a downer.

"So let's get 'em," Carol said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Use them to bring everyone back."

"Just like that?" Rhodey asked.

"Yeah," Steve agreed. "Just like that." Steve and Carol shared a knowing look and Bethany watched the two of them carefully. There was so much in Carol that she had seen in Steve. They were cut from the same cloth, and Bethany had a feeling that Carol's story wasn't that much different from Steve's.

"Even if there's a small chance that we can undo this... I mean we owe it to everyone who's not in this room to try," Natasha consented, a glimmer of hope in her voice.

"If we do this, how do we know it's gonna end any differently than it did before?" Bruce questioned.

"Because before, you didn't have me," Carol informed the room, making Bethany bite back a smile that felt foreign to her face. _Just like Steve_, she thought, taking in the confidence that Carol was radiating.

"Hey, new girl, everyone here is about that superhero life. And if you don't mind my asking, where the hell have you been all this time?" Rhodey disputed.

"There are a lot of other planets in the universe. And unfortunately, they didn't have you guys," Carol pointed out.

"Hey Rhodey," Bethany called out. "Stop being such a fucking downer and challenging every positive word that comes out of someone's mouth."

The entire room looked shocked at Bethany's words, but she didn't care. She _needed_ this. And it felt like every single sentence that had come out of Rhodey's mouth that day had been a negative one. She knew from experience that negativity didn't do anyone any favors in battle. And they needed all the favors they could get.

Thor, who had been absolutely silent all day, put his snack down and began to walk to Carol. He stood, dangerously close to her, his body language challenging her. Carol stood her ground, not even flinching when Thor summoned Stormbreaker over to him, narrowly missing Carol's body. She gave him a smirk as her only response.

Thor was silent for a moment before giving his approval. "I like this one."

For the first time in three weeks, the entire room seemed to be filled with a sense of hope they all thought was lost forever. "Let's go get this son of a bitch," Steve instructed the room, his eyes meeting Bethany's for the first time in what felt like a long time. She gave him a small smile, showing him that she had faith in their plan. She had faith in them.

* * *

Bethany secured the end of her braid with an elastic. Steve stood in the doorway, wearing his old stealth suit. It was the only suit they could find that didn't need extensive repairs. She could feel Steve's eyes on her, and she knew exactly what he was thinking. "I'm going. Nothing you say will change my mind."

"You've barely rested-"

"Neither have you. No one has," Bethany pointed out. "I'm not going to sit here, waiting to see if my kids reappear or not. I'm going with you, end of story."

Bethany stood in front of him, looking up so that their eyes met. She did everything she could to summon the confidence to show him just how determined she was to do this. "You're a fool to think anything but having them back in my arms will fix me. We do this. _Together_."

The last word seemed to strike a chord deep within Steve, as if bringing him back to Tony's banter from earlier, but he accepted her statement. With half the team gone and Tony too weak to fight, they needed everyone they could get. They had no idea what kind of challenge Thanos would present to them. There was a part, a _big_ part of Bethany that believed that Thanos was suffering just as much as they were. She had saw what the stones had done to him. That wasn't something anyone could easily heal from… well, anyone but her.

As they boarded the Benatar, Bethany thought about that for a moment. Assuming everything went according to plan, and they got the stones, someone would need to use them to bring everyone back. Everyone around her would want to be the one to do it, but ultimately, Bethany knew that it had to be her. Based on what she saw, what she heard, the stones power surge could cause irreparable damage and crippling pain. The only other person who could _maybe_ wield the stones would be the Hulk, who was hiding like a child, and maybe even Carol. But Bethany had a feeling that not only could be _maybe_ successfully control the stones, but that she _could_. She kept this to herself, knowing that Steve wouldn't like this, and he still had the opportunity to kick her ass off the Benatar.

As the Benatar left the atmosphere, a thought raced towards Bethany. _I'm in space_. She felt emotion well up inside of her. She remembered a time when it was a pipe dream to get a _satellite_ into space, and here she was, there herself. An odd sense of excitement built up in her, much like a kid going to Disney World. It was better than being in Shuri's lab.

"Trust me, you get used to it," Carol told her with a smile, but Bethany shook her head. She didn't think that was possible.

"Okay," Rocket began, "Who here hasn't been to space?"

Natasha, Steve, Rhodey and Bethany rose their hands in accordance, Bethany's eyes fixed on the dark expanse in front of her.

"Why?" Rhodey asked with caution.

"You better not throw up on my ship," Rocket warned the new passengers.

"Approaching jump in three…two…one!" Nebula announced before the ship surged forward, their bodies being forced back into their chairs. Steve's hand reached out for Bethany's, holding onto it for dear life, but all Bethany could do was stare at the universe around her, absorbing every single moment. She hated that this experience would forever be tainted due to Thanos.

As the ship slowed down, Steve loosened the grip on her hand, but didn't let go of it. Bethany leaned forward, looking at the planet beneath them in wonder as Carol left the Benatar.

"I'll head down for recon," she told the group. "If I'm not back in fifteen, you'll know I found him."

"I really like her," Bethany told Steve quietly. "Her giddy optimism reminds me of you."

She said this with hope that she'd get a small smile from her husband, but he just reached inside the suit and pulled out a compass. Bethany frowned for a moment before Steve flipped open the antique, revealing the picture of her he had slipped into the lid during the war.

"I guess I left it in here," Steve whispered, looking at the old photo. "You've change so much since then."

Bethany said nothing, but slowly reached out and closed the lid. Visually, she hadn't changed much. That wasn't what Steve was referring to. But he was right. She _had_ change. They all had.

"This is gonna work, Steve," Natasha told him.

"I know it will," Steve replied, but his voice didn't have much confidence. "'Cause I don't know what I'm going to do if it doesn't."

Bethany didn't get a chance to reply, Carol approaching the ship with uncertainty on her face. "No satellites, no ships, no armies, no ground defenses of any kind. It's just him."

"And that's enough," Nebula replied.

* * *

As the ship moved down to the planet, Steve slipped his hand into his pocket, his compass within his grasp. The picture inside, of Bethany, young and innocent, untouched by so much tragedy was difficult to look at. The Bethany he had fallen for, so outspoken, so confident, so smart and witty… she had never really recovered from his disappearance. The person he had returned to was outspoken, confident, smart and witty, but not in the same way she had been back then. Too many of her decision, too many of her experience had tainted her view of life. He didn't love this Bethany any less. If anything, he loved her more. This Bethany had somehow, despite all the pain and heartbreak, become a soft and loving person. She had become a mother. And as they walked towards Thanos, Steve's heart hammered within his rib cage. If they didn't succeed, would he lose her too? Would this be too much? Would this drag her back to that dark version of herself? Could he blame her if she did? And would he follow suit?

Everyone but Steve, Natasha and Bethany rushed forward, using their powers to their advantage to weaken Thanos. At the entrance of his little hunt, Steve took a moment to take in how good it was to see Thanos on his knees, unable to escape Carol and Rhodey's grip. Rocket moved over to where the gauntlet laid on the ground, Thanos' hand still inside, rolling it off its side and confirming what they all saw with a "oh no".

"Where are they?" Steve demanded, after moving closer to the gauntlet.

Thanos didn't respond, only groaning with discomfort. The left side of his face was charred, scarred from using the stones.

"Answer the question," Carol instructed, tightening her grip.

"The universe required correction," Thanos offered between tired breaths. "After that, the stones served no purpose, beyond temptation."

"You murdered trillions!" Bruce yelled from inside the Hulk Buster, pushing Thanos backyards with aggression that would have previously awoken the Hulk.

"You should be grateful," Thanos spat before Bruce punched him.

"You don't get to decide what we're grateful for," Bethany seethed. "Where are the stones?"

"Gone!" Thanos replied. "Reduced to atoms."

"You used them two days ago!" Bruce countered.

"I used the stones to destroy the stones," Thanos revealed. _Gone. Reduced to atoms_, Steve thought, his breath catching in his throat. He could feel every ounce of power within him crumble. In that moment, Steve could swear he felt his heart break into tiny little pieces. "It nearly killed me. But the work is done. It always will be. I am… inevitable."

"We-we have to tear this place apart," Rhodey attempted. "He-he-he has to be lying."

"My father is many things," Nebula revealed. "A liar is not one of them."

"Ah, thank you daughter," Thanos attempted. "Perhaps I treated you too harshly."

There was a quick moment of nothing before rage filled the entire hut, Thor raising Stormbreaker and bringing it down in one quick movement, Thanos' head separating from his body. And just like that… he was gone.

"What… what did you do?" Rocket asked, his voice a mix between despair and disbelief.

"I…I went for the head," Thor replied, his voice dry.

Steve's eyes moved towards the empty gauntlet. His jaw ached, his emotions threatening to overwhelm him. His fists clenched together, his fingernails no doubt leaving crescent-shaped marks on his gloves. It was only when he heard a feminine sob did his gaze move away from the gauntlet. The entire team was broken, starring at nothing, eyes water or throwing things around. But there was one thing missing: Bethany was nowhere in sight.

"Bethany?" Steve tried to call but had to clear his throat for the words to have any volume. He moved out of the hut, calling her name again, his heart beating faster than he ever thought was possible. "Bethany?!" He called into the distance.

"I'm here," Bethany whispered, Steve looking down. She was sitting right outside the hut, her back up against the wall. Her body was curled up into a ball, her gaze on the distance. There were no tears in her eyes, none running down her face. But the defeated look on her face said everything. Steve reached out for her but stopped himself. He couldn't look at her. He was already so broken, so destroyed, that he couldn't bring himself to look into her eyes and take her pain as his own.

* * *

When they got to the door of the New Avengers Facility, Bethany's body came to a sudden halt, Steve's chest hitting her back. "You go ahead," She told him, her voice empty of any real emotion. "I'm just gonna… I'm just gonna sit outside for a little."

Steve went to argue, but Carol put a hand on his shoulder. "You go," She told him, watching as Bethany sat on the ground outside the facility. "I'll stay with her."

Steve looked at Bethany and then back to Carol before giving a curt nod. When the rest team, defeated in every way possible, was inside the facility, Carol sat down next to Bethany. Carol knew who Bethany was—how could she not? Fury had only mentioned her a dozen or so times. Even when surrounded by aliens, Fury had seemed amazed with the SHIELD agent. She didn't really get it then. And really, Bethany hadn't really done much to change her opinion, but the Bethany that Fury told her about was different from the Bethany she was sitting beside. The way Fury described her to be was a ruthless spy. In his words "there's nothing she can't handle".

"I'm sorry," Carol offered, the words sounding stupid as soon as they left her lips. "I'm sorry about your kids."

And that was it, wasn't it? She was different because of her kids. Because of her husband. Because of her family. She was different because everything that made her that ruthless SHIELD agent was the absence of those things.

"I used to be optimistic about the future," Bethany shared. "My brother and I would dream about what would happen. About what would be. Flying cars, and cures to uncurable illnesses. A peaceful world. I would spend nights, sleepless, designing and reading, and tinkering and exploring… I would do all of that, dreaming about the future. And not once during those days did I think about having kids. Life would have been a lot less painful if I had just stayed like that."

Carol stayed silent, not knowing how to respond to that. She could tell from Bethany's voice that she didn't really want that to be reality—that she wouldn't change her life with her children, even if it ended in heartbreak. It was merely an observation. There was something eerie about Bethany's voice in that moment. There was no emotion in it—there was no sadness or anger. There was _nothing_. It was almost robotic.

"Someone has to tell them," Bethany continued. "Someone needs to tell them that everyone they love, their parents, siblings, kids… none of them are coming home. They aren't coming back."

* * *

****A/N:**

**Cleo9427: It's going to be one chapter a year, but some may be shorter than the usual chapter lengths (about 4000 words). I'm not sure how many chapters this will end up being. I'm aiming for 35 total, but we'll see. And no Theo in this chapter, but he'll be in the next one for sure. I've got a few storylines coming up for him. I considered them having another baby, and honestly was pretty excited about it, but then I realized that if they had a baby, Bethany would realistically stay behind during the Time Heist. I can't see her joining them if a baby is waiting for them, so I've decided to nix that idea.**

**Zikashiagaku: He definitely will understand when Morgan is born. I'm planning on using her as a way to mend their relationship.**

**Anonymouscsifan: He will forgive her! Eventually haha. I considered them having another baby, and honestly was pretty excited about it, but then I realized that if they had a baby, Bethany would realistically stay behind during the Time Heist. I can't see her joining them if a baby is waiting for them, so I've decided to nix that idea.**

**CaptainLoki: Tony is in a lot of pain, and when we're in a lot of pain, we say things that we don't necessary mean. We may think them, but we know that we shouldn't put them into the world.**

**HogwartsBestAvenger: I'll give it a listen! Thanks! Also, I believe I picked Switzerland for their house location, but I never specifically mentioned that location cause I'm from Canada and I didn't want to write things about Switzerland that aren't true, so I just kinda based the location around there.**

**Wonderwomanbatmanfan: I am VERY excited to write the Time Heist! I don't mind people asking for updates, since it's a great motivator, but my laptop has IsSuEs that made it IMPOSSIBLE to write. I finally fixed them, so hopefully I'll be able to get back onto a writing schedule. Thanks for all the support!**

**Ellidraco1014: She's going on the Time Heist 1000%! I'm gonna work real hard to make sure she doesn't mess with the timeline.**

**Random question: Hmm, they did work once upon a time. I know fanfiction is weird about posting links. If you wanna give them a watch, you can find them on sorryeverafter on tumblr. I'll repost them so they are at the top **** I actually think I have a few more on my laptop too that could be posted.**


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